Slljr  i.  B.  Btll  iUtbrarg 


Nortly  (Earalina  ^tat^  IniiiprHttu 

QK535 
Ml?, 


800297  7  771 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  DATE 
INDICATED  BELOW  AND  IS  SUB- 
JECT TO  AN  OVERDUE  FINE  AS 
POSTED  AT  THE  CIRCULATION 
DESK. 


OFC  1 4 1977 
APR  3  0  1986 


^P^2  7  1995 

APR     7  1996 
MAY 


^j?o,  N  ^ 


MAY  f^im 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN 
SLIME-MOULDS 


A  DESCRIPTIVE  LIST   OF 

ALL  SPECIES  OF  MYXOMYCETES 

HITHERTO  REPORTED  FROM  THE  CONTINENT  OF 

NORTH  AMERICA 

WITH  NOTES  ON   SOME  EXTRA-LIMITAL  SPECIES 


BY 

THOMAS  H.  MACBRIDE 

STATE    UNIVERSITY   OF   IOWA 


PKi 


NEW  AND  REVISED  EDITION 


THE  MACxMILLAN  COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  AND  CO.,  Ltd. 
1922 

All   rights   riserued 


Copyright,    1899. 
By   the    MACMILLAN    COMPANY. 


Copyright,   1922, 
By   the    MACMILLAN   COMPANY. 


(ITije  Clio  ll^ttiS 

Iowa  City,  Iowa,  U.  S.  A. 


•IN  •  MEMORIAM- 

•  SAMUELIS  .  CALVINI  • 

SCIENTIAE  .  NATURALIS  •  IN  •  UNIVERSITATE  •  lOWENSI 
•  NUPER  .  PROFESSORIS  • 

.  PRAECEPTORIS  •  COMITIS  •  AMICI- 

•HUNC  •  LIBRUM- 

•  GRATO  .  ANIMO  •  DEDICAT- 

•DISCIPULUS- 


ifv^ 


"Ihr   naht    euch    wieder   schwankende    Gestalten, 
Die  friih  sich  einst  dem  triiben  Blick  gezeigt." 
Goethe. 


"Diese  Kinder  der  Natur,  welche  aus  einer  ungeformten 
Gallert,  und  einem  unsichtbaren  Saamen  entstehen,  sind  im 
stande,  in  dem  sie  sich  nach  und  nach  entwickeln  und  ihre 
scheinbar  nachlassige  Bildung  genau  beobachten  (lassen), 
eben  so  sehr  als  die  schonste  Pflanze,  einem  empfindenden 
Herzen  die  tiefe  Achtung  und  das  paradiesische  Verniigen 
zu  verschaffen,  welches  einzig  die  Betrachtung  der  Heere 
der  Natur  und  ihre  gleichbleibende  Erhaltung  durch  eine 
ewige  Kraft  hervorbringen  kann." 

A.  J.  G.  C.  Batsch  1783. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Preface ix 

Preface  to  Secon'd  Edition xiii 

Bibliography xv 

Introductory        1 

The  Myxomycetes 17 

Addenda 282 

Index  of  Genera 289 

Index  of  Species 290 

Plates,   with  Explanations 301 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION^ 

The  present  work  has  grown  out  of  a  monograph  entitled 
Myxomycetes  of  Eastern  Iowa,  published  by  the  present  author  about 
eight  years  ago.  The  original  work  was  intended  chiefly  for  the  use 
of  the  author's  own  pupils;  but  interest  in  the  subject  proved  much 
wider  than  had  been  supposed,  and  a  rather  large  edition  of  that 
little  work  was  speedily  exhausted.  At  that  time  literature  on  the 
subject  in  question  —  literature  accessible  to  English  readers  —  was 
scant  indeed.  Cooke's  translation  of  Rostafinski,  in  so  far  as  con- 
cerned the  species  of  Great  Britain,  was  practically  all  there  was  to 
be  consulted  in  English. 

In  1892  appeared  in  London  Massee's  Monograph  of  the 
Myxogastres,  and  two  years  later  in  the  same  world's  centre  the 
trustees  of  the  British  Museum  brought  out  Lister's  Mycetozoa. 
Although  these  two  English  works  both  claim  revision  of  the  entire 
group  under  discussion,  the  latter  paying  special  attention  to  Amer- 
ican forms,  nevertheless  there  still  seems  place  for  a  less  pretentious 
volume  which  for  American  students  shall  present  succinct  descrip- 
tions of  North  American  species  only.  The  material  basis  of  the 
present  work  consists  of  collections  now  in  the  herbarium  of  the 
State  University  of  Iowa.  In  accumulating  the  material  the  author 
has  had  the  generous  assistance  of  botanists  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, from  Alaska  to  Panama,  and  the  geographical  distribution  is  in 
most  cases  authenticated  by  specimens  from  the  localities  named. 
The  descriptions,  in  case  of  species  represented  in  Europe,  are  based 
upon  those  of  European  authors;  for  forms  first  described  in  this 
country,  the  original  descriptions  have  been  consulted.  A  bibli- 
ography follows  this  preface. 

In  reference  to  the  omnipresent  vexed  question  of  nomenclature,  a 
word  is  perhaps  necessary.  De  Candolle's  rule,  "The  first  authentic 
specific  name  published  under  the  genus  in  which  the  species  now 

1  The  North  American  Slime  Moulds,  1899. 


X  PREFACE 

stands,"  may  be  true  philosophy,  but  it  is  certainly  an  open  question 
how  that  rule  shall  be  applied.  If  an  author  recognized  and  defined 
a  given  species  in  times  past,  and,  in  accordance  with  views  then 
held,  assigned  the  species  to  a  particular  genus,  common  honesty,  it 
would  seem,  would  require  that  his  work  be  recognized.  To  assume 
that  any  later  writer  who  may  choose  to  set  to  familiar  genera  limits 
unknown  before  shall  thereby  be  empowered  to  write  all  species  so 
displaced  his  own,  as  if,  forsooth,  now  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  science  published  or  described,  is  not  only  absolutely  and  in- 
excusably misleading,  but  actually  increases  by  just  so  much  the 
amount  of  debris  with  which  the  taxonomy  of  the  subject  is  already 
cumbered. 

In  face  of  a  work  so  painstaking  and  voluminous  as  that  of 
Rostafinski,  and  in  view  of  the  almost  universal  confusion  that  pre- 
ceded him,  it  would  seem  idle  to  change  for  reasons  purely  technical 
the  nomenclature  which  the  Polish  author  has  established.  Especially 
is  this  true  in  the  case  of  organisms  so  very  perishable  and  fragile  as 
those  now  in  question  where  comparative  revision  is  apt  to  result  in 
uncertainty.  We  had  preferred  to  leave  the  Rostafinskian,  i.  e.  the 
heretofore  current  nomenclature,  untouched ;  but  since  other  writers 
have  preferred  to  do  otherwise,  we  are  compelled  to  recognize  the 
resultant  confusion. 

Slime-moulds  have  long  attracted  the  attention  of  the  student  of 
nature.  For  nearly  two  hundred  years  they  find  place  more  or  less 
definite  in  botanical  literature.  Micheli,  1729,  figures  a  number  of 
them,  some  so  accurately  that  the  identity  of  the  species  is  hardly  to 
be  questioned.  Other  early  writers  are  Buxbaum  and  Dillenius. 
But  the  great  names  before  Rostafinski  are  Schrader,  Persoon,  and 
Fries.  Schrader's  judgment  was  especially  clear.  In  his  Nova 
Genera,  1797,  he  recognizes  plainly  the  difference  between  slime- 
moulds  and  everything  else  that  passed  by  the  name  of  fungus,  and 
proposed  that  they  should  be  set  off  in  a  family  by  themselves,^  but 
he  suggested  no  definite  name.  Nees  (C.  G.)  also  made  the  same 
observation  in  1817,  and  proposed  the  name  Mrogastres;  but  he 
cites   as   type   of   his   aerogastres,   Eurotium,   and   includes  so   many 

^  Schrader,  Nova  Plantarum  Genera,  1797,  pp.  vi-vii. 


PREFACE  XI 

fungi,  that  it  seems  unsafe  now  to  approve  his  nomenclature. 
Schrader  also  has  left  an  excellent  account  of  the  cribrarias,  the  basis 
of  all  that  has  since  been  attempted  in  that  genus. 

Persoon,  in  his  Synopsis j  1801,  attempts  a  review  of  all  the  fungi 
known  up  to  that  time.  His  notes  and  synonymy  are  invaluable, 
enabling  us  to  understand  the  references  of  many  of  the  earlier 
authors  where  these  had  otherwise  been  indefinite  if  not  unintelli- 
gible. He  makes  a  great  many  changes  in  nomenclature,  and  excuses 
himself  on  the  ground  that  he  follows,  in  this  particular,  illustrious 
examples!     Unfortunately,  so  do  we  all! 

Fries,  in  his  Systema  Mycologicum,  1829,  summed  up  in  most 
wonderful  way  the  work  of  all  his  predecessors  and  the  mycologic 
science  of  his  time.  In  reading  Fries  the  modern  student  hardly 
knows  which  most  to  admire,  the  author's  far-reaching,  patient  re- 
search, the  singular  acumen  of  his  taxonomic  instinct,  the  graceful 
exactness  of  the  Latin  in  which  his  conclusions  are  expressed,  or  the 
delicate  courtesy  with  which  he  touches  the  work  even  the  most 
primitive,  of  those  his  predecessors  or  contemporaries.  Nevertheless 
in  our  particular  group  even  the  determinations  of  Fries  are  not  con- 
clusive. He  himself  often  confesses  as  much.  The  microscopic  tech- 
nique of  that  day  did  not  yield  the  data  needful  for  minute  compari- 
son among  these  most  delicate  forms. 

It  remained  for  DeBary  and  Rostafinski  to  introduce  a  new  factor 
into  the  description  of  species,  and  by  spore-measurement  and  the 
delineation  of  microscopic  detail  to  supply  an  element  of  definiteness 
which  has  no  parallel  in  the  work  of  any  earlier  student  of  this 
group.  Under  these  conditions  the  revision  undertaken  by  Ros- 
tafinski  was  of  a  most  heroic  sort.  His  work  was  almost  a  new 
beginning;  and  while  in  nomenclature  he  was  inclined  to  follow  the 
Paris  Code,  yet  the  inadequacy  of  the  earlier  descriptions  often  made 
such  a  course  impracticable.  The  synonymy  of  Rostafinski  is  largely 
that  of  Fries,  and  upon  this  the  Polish  author  attempts  to  apply  the 
law  of  priority.  In  the  historical  note,  wzmianka  historyczna,  ac- 
companying the  description  of  each  specific  form,  he  generally  states 
the  reason  for  the  nomenclature  he  adopts,  whether  selected  from  the 
mass  of  supposed  synonymy  or  introduced  by  himself  de  novo.     Un- 


xii  PREFACE 

fortunately,  Rostafinski  is  sometimes  purely  arbitrary  in  his  selec- 
tions. He  sometimes  changes  a  specific  or  even  generic  name, 
otherwise  correctly  applied,  simply  because  in  primary  etymological 
significance  the  name  seems  to  him  inappropriate.  In  such  cases  it  is 
proper  to  restore  the  earlier  name.  Nevertheless  Rostafinski  is  still 
our  most  trustworthy  guide. 

Of  course,  where  later  investigations  have  served  to  obliterate  the 
once-thought  patent  distinctions  between  supposed  genera  or  species, 
it  is  proper  to  unite  such  forms  under  the  older  determinable  titles 
and  this  we  have  attempted.  But  wherever  in  the  present  work  a 
name  has  been  changed,  the  name  of  the  earlier  author  will  be  found 
in  parenthesis,  followed  immediately  by  that  of  him  who  made  the 
change,  and  in  general,  recent  practice,  especially  as  expressed  in  the 
rules  of  the  various  codes,  has  determined  the  puzzling  questions  of 
nomenclature. 

In  justification  of  the  use  of  Myxomycetes  as  a  general  title  it 
may  be  said  that  in  this  case  prevalent  usage  is  not  inconsistent  with 
a  rational  application  of  the  rules  of  priority.  The  Friesian  designa- 
tion Myxogastres  was  applied  by  its  author  in  1829  to  the  endo- 
sporous  slime-moulds  as  a  section  of  gasteromycetous  fungi.  Four 
years  later  Link,  perceiving  more  clearly  the  absolute  distinctness  of 
the  group,  substituted  the  name  Myxomycetes.  In  the  same  year 
Wall  roth  adopted  the  same  designation,  but  strangely  confused  the 
limitations  of  the  group  he  named.  Wallroth  seems  to  have  thought 
Myxomycetes  a  synonym  for  Gasteromycetes  Fries.  In  1858  DeBary 
applied  the  title  Mycetozoa  to  a  group  which  included  the  then 
lately  discovered  Acrasieae  with  the  true  slime-moulds,  both  endo- 
sporous  and  exosporous.  For  all  except  the  Acrasieae  DeBary  re- 
tained the  old  appellation,  Myxomj'cetcs.  Rostafinski  adopted 
DeBary 's  general  name,  but  changed  its  application.  As  it  has  been 
shown,  since  DeBary 's  time,  that  the  Acrasieae'^  have  no  true  Plasmo- 
dium, and  are  therefore  not  properly,  or  at  least  not  necessarily, 
associated  with  the  slime-moulds,  there  appears  no  necessity  for  the 
term  Mycetozoa,  and  the  question  lies  between  Myxogastres  and 
Myxomycetes.  Of  these  two  names  the  former,  as  we  have  seen,  has 
^  Cf.  Edgar  W.  Olive,  Monograph  of  the  Acrasieae;  Boston,   1902. 


PREFACE  xiii 

undoubted  priority,  but  only  as  applied  to  the  endosporous  species. 
The  same  thing  was  true  of  Link's  designation  until  DeBary  re- 
defined it,  but  having  been  taken  up  by  DeBary,  redefined  and 
correctly  applied,  Myxomycetes  (Link)  DeBary  must  remain  the 
undisputed  title  for  all  true  slime-moulds,  endosporous  and  exo- 
sporous  alike. 

In  arranging  the  larger  divisions  of  the  group  the  scheme  of 
Rostafinski  has  been  somewhat  modified  in  order  to  give  expression 
to  what  the  present  author  deems  a  more  natural  sequence  of  species. 
The  highest  expression  of  myxomycetan  fructification  is  doubtless  the 
isolated  sporangium  with  its  capillitium.  This  is  reached  by  succes- 
sive differentiations  from  the  simple  Plasmodium.  The  asthalium  may 
be  esteemed  in  some  instances  a  case  of  degeneration,  in  others  of 
arrested  development.  In  any  event  in  the  present  arrangement, 
aethalioid  forms  are  first  disposed  of,  leaving  the  sporangiate  species 
to  follow  from  plasmodiocarpous  as  directly  as  may  be. 

The  artificial  keys  herewith  presented  proceed  on  the  same  plan 
and  are  to  be  taken,  as  such  keys  always  are,  not  as  definitive  in  any 
case,  but  simply  as  an  aid  to  help  the  student  more  speedily  to  reach 
a  probably  satisfactory  description. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION 

The  first  edition  of  this  little  book  having  been  exhausted  long 
ago,  the  writer  in  this  second  issue  takes  opportunity  to  correct 
sundry  errata,  typographical  and  other,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
incorporate  such  new  information  in  reference  to  individual  species 
and  to  the  subject  entire  as  the  researches  of  more  recent  years  may 
aflford. 

To  Miss  Gulielma  Lister,  of  London,  the  writer  expresses  his 
sense  of  deep  obligation  for  much  assistance  in  settling  difficult  mat- 
ters of  nomenclature  and  identification ;  it  will  be  found  as  a  result 
that  in  most  instances  the  same  thing  in  the  two  volumes,  English 
and  American,  appears  under  the  same  name.     There  are  still  dif- 


xiv  PREFACE 

ferences;  these  result  in  most  cases  from  different  points  of  view, 
different  estimates  or  emphasis  of  characteristics  in  these  ever  elusive 
objects. 

To  Professor  Torrend,  formerly  of  Lisbon,  the  writer  is  indebted 
for  a  set  of  European  types,  and  to  Professor  Bethel,  pathologist  of 
Denver,  for  rich  material  from  the  fertile  mountains  of  Colorado 
and  California.  To  Professor  Morton  Peck,  of  Oregon,  we  are  in- 
debted for  many  notes  of  the  color  of  plasmodia  and  for  collections 
of  Pacific  coast  forms.  Mr.  Bilgram,  of  Philadelphia,  read  the  manu- 
script of  the  genus  Physarum  and  has  contributed  many  rare  species. 
To  Dr.  Sturgis,  of  Massachusetts,  we  are  indebted  for  material  from 
both  east  and  west. 

The  present  volume  is  intended  especially  for  American  readers 
and  is  accordingly  particularly  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  species  so 
far  reported  on  the  western  continent;  nevertheless  it  has  seemed 
wise  to  include  a  brief  description  of  some  other  forms  as  well,  and 
reference  to  many  extra-limital  species  now  generally  recognized  will 
be  found  here  and  there  in  connection  with  the  more  extended  treat- 
ment of  related  American  forms. 

February  twenty-eight,  1921. 

At  the  last  moment,  nearly  all  plates  and  drawings  of  the  first  edition 
disappeared !  necessitating  a  quick  renewal  of  drawings  and  plates.  This 
may  in  part  explain  lack  of  uniformity,  and  various  minor  irregularities  sure 
to  grieve  the  intelligent  student. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

The  following  are  the  principal  works  consulted  in  the  prose- 
cution of  the  investigations  here  recorded :  — 

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1805.  Albertini  —  see  under  Schweinitz. 

1841.  Annals  and  Magazine  of  Natural  History.  London,  various  vol- 
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1851.  Bonorden,  H.  F.     Mycologie. 

1875.  Botanical   Gazette,   The.     Various  volumes  to   1921, 

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1719.     Dillenius,   J.  J.  Catalogus  Plantarum  circa   Cissam   nascentium. 

1813.  Ditmar,  L.  P.  F.,  Sturm,  Deutschlands  Flora,  3te  Abtheil ;  Die  Pilze 
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1878.  Ellis,  J.  B.     North  American  Fungi.     Exskcati.  et  seq. 
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1817.  Fries,  Elias  M.     Symbolae  Gasteromycetum. 

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xvi  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

1829.  Fries,  Elias  M.     Systema  Mycologicum. 

1873.  Fuckel,   I.     Symbola;  Mycologicae. 

1791.  Gmelin,  C.  C.     Systema  Nature,  Tom.  II.,  Pars.  ii. 

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1753.  Linne,  C.     Systema  Naturae  —  to  1767. 

1894.  Lister,  Arthur.  The  Mycetozoa ;  1911,  Second  Edition,  revised  by 
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1816.  Nees,  Ch.  G.  D.     Das  System  der  Pilze  und  Schwamme. 

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to  1893. 

1873.  Rostafinski,  J.     Versuch  eines  Systems  der  Mycetozoen. 
1875.  Rostafinski,  J.     Sluzowce  Monografia. 

1778.  Roth,  A.  W.     Tentamen  Florae  Germanics. 

1888.  Saccardo,  P.  A.     Sylloge  Fungorum,  vol.  vii.,  et  seq. 

1841.  Sauter,  A.     Flora,  vol.  xxiv.,  p.  316. 

1762.  Schaeffer,  J.  C.     Fungi  qui  in  Bav.  et  Pal.  nascuntur  — to  1774. 

1797.  Schrader,  H.  A.     Nova  Genera  Plantarum. 

1890.  Schroeter,  J.     Myxomycetes,   in   Engler  u.  Prantl  Pflanzenfamilien. 

1885.  Schroeter,  J.     Kryptogamenflora  von  Schlesien,  die  Pilze. 
1801.  Schumacher,  C.  F.     Enumeratio  Plant.  Sasll.  crescentium. 
1805.  Albertini,  I.  and  Schweinitz,  L.  D.  de.     Conspectus  Fungorum. 
1822.  Schweinitz,  L.  D.  de.     Synopsis  Fungorum  Car.  Sup. 

1834.  Schweinitz,  L.  D.  de.     Synopsis  Fungorum  in  America  Boreali. 

1797.  Sowerby,  J.     English  Fungi— to  1809;   3  vols. 

1760.  Scopoli,  J.  A.     Flora   Carniolica  —  to   1772. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  xvii 

1797.  Trentepohl,  K.  Observationes  Botanicae,  —  to  Roth,  Catalecta 
Botanica,  Fasc.  i. 

1833.  Wallroth,   C.  F.     Flora  Cryptogamica  Germaniae. 

1787.  Willdenow,  K.  L.     Florae  Berolinensis  Prodromus. 

1886.  Wingate,  Harold,  Jour.  Mycol.  ii.,  125. 

1889.  Wingate   Harold,  In  Proc.  Acad.   Nat.   Sci.  Philad. 

1890.  Wingate,   Harold  —  in  Revue  Mycologique. 

1873.  Woronin  u.  Famintzin,  Ueber  Zvvei  neuen  Formen  von  Schleim- 
pilzen. 

1885.     Zopf,  W.     Die  Piizthiere  oder  Schleimpilze. 

To  these  may  be  added  the  many  contributions  on  the  general 
subject,  as  these  are  found  in  all  sorts  of  current  botanical  literature; 
cited  everywhere  in  this  volume  as  occasion  offered. 


INTRODUCTORY 

The  Myxomycetes,  or  slime-moulds,  include  certain  very  delicate 
and  extremely  beautiful  fungus-like  organisms  common  in  all  the 
moist  and  wooded  regions  of  the  earth.  Deriving  sustenance,  as  they 
for  the  most  part  do,  in  connection  with  the  decomposition  of  organic 
matter,  they  are  usually  to  be  found  upon  or  near  decaying  logs, 
sticks,  leaves,  and  other  masses  of  vegetable  detritus,  wherever  the 
quantity  of  such  material  is  sufficient  to  insure  continuous  moisture. 
In  fruit,  however,  as  will  appear  hereafter,  slime-moulds  may  occur 
on  objects  of  any  and  every  sort.  Their  minuteness  retires  them  from 
ordinary  ken;  but  such  is  the  extreme  beauty  of  their  microscopic 
structure,  such  the  exceeding  interest  of  their  life-history,  that  for 
many  years  enthusiastic  students  have  found  the  group  one  of  peculiar 
fascination,  in  some  respects,  at  least,  the  most  interesting  and  re- 
markable that  falls  beneath  our  lens. 

The  slime-mould  presents  in  the  course  of  its  life-history  two  very 
distinct  phases:  the  vegetative j  or  growing,  assimilating  phase,  and 
the  reproductive.  The  former  is  in  many  cases  inconspicuous  and 
therefore  unobserved ;  the  latter  generally  receives  more  or  less  atten- 
tion at  the  hands  of  the  collector  of  fungi.  The  vegetative  phase 
differs  from  the  corresponding  phase  of  all  other  plants  in  that  it 
exhibits  extreme  simplicity  of  structure,  if  structure  that  may  be 
called  which  consists  of  a  simple  mass  of  protoplasm  destitute  of  cell- 
walls,  protean  in  form  and  amoeboid  in  its  movements.  This  phase 
of  the  slime-mould  is  described  as  plasmodial  and  it  is  proper  to 
designate  the  vegetative  phase  in  any  species,  as  the  Plasmodium  of 
the  species.  It  was  formerly  taught  that  the  Plasmodium  is  uni- 
cellular, but  more  recent  investigation  has  shown  that  the  plasmodial 
protoplasm  is  not  only  multinuclear  but  karyokinetic ;  its  cells  divide 
and  redivide,  as  do  the  reproductive  cells  of  plants  and  animals  gen- 
erally. Nevertheless,  in  its  plasmodial  phase,  the  slime-mould  is 
hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  any  other  protoplasmic  mass,  may  be 


nonRTY  UBRARY 
H.  C.  StaU  Collect 


2  INTRODUCTORY 

compared  to  a  giant  amoeba,  and  justifies  in  so  far  the  views  of  those 
systematists  who  would  remove  the  slime-moulds  from  the  domain  of 
the  botanist  altogether,  and  call  them  animals.  The  Plasmodium  is 
often  quite  large.  It  may  frequently  be  found  covering  with  mani- 
fold ramifications  and  net-like  sheets  the  surface  of  some  convenient 
substratum  for  the  space  of  several  square  feet. 

The  substance  of  the  Plasmodium  has  about  the  consistency  of  the 
white  of  an  egg;  is  slippery  to  the  touch,  tasteless,  and  odorless. 
Plasmodia  vary  in  color  in  different  species  and  at  different  times  in 
the  same  species.  The  prevailing  color  is  yellow,  but  may  be  brown, 
orange,  red,  ruby-red,  violet,  in  fact  any  tint,  even  green.  Young 
Plasmodia  in  certain  species  are  colorless  (as  in  Diderma  floriforme) , 
while  many  have  a  peculiar  ecru-white  or  creamy  tint  difficult  to 
define.  Not  only  does  the  color  change,  sometimes  more  than  once 
in  the  course  of  the  life  history  of  the  same  species,  but  it  may  be  the 
same  for  several  forms,  which  in  fruit  are  singularly  diverse  indeed, 
so  that  the  mere  color  of  the  Plasmodium  brings  small  assistance  to 
the  systematist.  In  fact,  the  color  depends  no  doubt  upon  the  pres- 
ence in  the  plasmodium  of  various  matters,  more  or  less  foreign,  un- 
assimilated,  possibly  some  of  them  excretory,  differing  from  day  to 
day. 

In  its  plasmodial  state,  as  has  been  said,  the  slime-mould  affects 
damp  or  moist  situations,  and  during  warm  weather  in  such  places 
spreads  over  all  moist  surfaces,  creeps  through  the  interstices  of  the 
rotting  bark,  spreads  between  the  cells,  between  the  growth-layers  of 
the  wood,  runs  in  corded  vein-like  nets  between  the  wood  and  bark, 
and  finds  in  all  these  cases  nutrition  in  the  products  of  organic  de- 
composition. Such  a  Plasmodium  may  be  divided,  and  so  long  as 
suitable  surroundings  are  maintained,  each  part  will  manifest  all  the 
properties  of  the  whole.  Parts  of  the  same  plasmodium  will  even 
coalesce  again.  If  a  piece  of  plasmodium-bearing  wood  be  brought 
indoors,  be  protected  from  desiccation  by  aid  of  a  moist  dark  cham- 
ber, not  too  warm  (70°  F.),  the  organism  seems  to  suffer  little  if 
any  injury,  but  will  continue  for  days  or  weeks  to  manifest  all  the 
phenomena  of  living  matter.  Thus,  under  such  circumstances,  the 
Plasmodium  will  constantly  change  shape  and  position,  can  be  in- 


INTRODUCTORY  3 

duced  to  spread  over  a  plate  of  moist  glass,  and  so  be  transferred  to 
the  stage  of  a  microscope,  there  to  exhibit  in  the  richest  and  most 
interesting  and  abundant  fashion  the  streaming  protoplasmic  cur- 
rents. As  just  indicated,  the  plasmodia  follow  moisture,  creep  from 
one  moist  substance  to  another,  especially  follow  nutritive  substrata. 
They  seem  also  to  secure  in  some  way  exclusive  possession.  I  have 
never  seen  them  interfered  with  by  hyphae  or  enemies  of  any  sort, 
nor  do  they  seem  to  interfere  with  one  another.  Plasmodia  of  two 
common  species,  Hemitrichia  clavata  and  H.  vesparium  are  often 
side  by  side  on  the  same  substratum,  but  do  not  mix,  and  their  per- 
fected fruits  presently  stand  erect  side  by  side,  each  with  its  own 
characteristics,  entirely  unaffected  by  the  presence  of  the  other.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  probable  that  some  of  the  forms  which,  judged 
by  their  different  fructifications,  and  by  this  alone,  are  to  us  distinct, 
may  be  more  closely  related  than  we  suspect,  and  puzzling  phases 
which  show  the  distinctive  marks  supposed  to  characterize  different 
species  are  no  doubt  sometimes  to  be  explained  on  the  theory  of 
Plasmodia!  crossing;  they  are  hybrids. 

Under  certain  conditions,  low  temperature,  lack  of  moisture,  the 
Plasmodium  may  pass  into  a  resting  phase,  when  it  masses  itself  in 
heaps  and  may  become  quite  dry  in  lumps  of  considerable  size,  and  so 
await  the  return  of  favorable  conditions  when  former  activity  is 
quickly  resumed.  Sometimes  the  larger  plasmodia  pass  into  the  rest- 
ing phase  by  undergoing  a  very  peculiar  change  of  structure.  In 
ordinary  circumstances  the  abundant  free  nuclei  demonstrable  in  the 
Plasmodium  afford  the  only  evidence  of  cellular  organization.  In 
passing  now  into  the  condition  of  rest,  the  whole  protoplasmic  mass 
separates  simultaneously  into  numerous  definite  polyhedral  or  paren- 
chymatous cells,  each  with  a  well-developed  cellulose  wall.^  When 
the  conditions  essential  to  activity  are  restored,  the  walls  disappear, 
the  cellulose  is  resorbed,  and  the  Plasmodium  resumes  its  usual  habit 
and  structure. 

The  plasmodial  phase  of  the  slime-mould,  like  the  hyphal  phase  of 
the  fungus,  may  continue  a  long  time ;  for  months,  possibly  for  years. 
The  reason  for  making  the  latter  statement  will  presently  appear. 

1  DeBary,  Morphology  and  Biology  of  the  Fungi,  p.  428. 


4  INTRODUCTORY 

But  however  long  or  short  the  plasmodial  phase  continue,  the  time  of 
fruit,  the  reproductive  phase,  at  length  arrives.  When  this  time 
comes,  induced  partly  by  a  certain  maturity  in  the  organism  itself, 
partly  no  doubt  by  the  trend  of  external  conditions,  the  Plasmodium 
no  longer  as  before  evades  the  light,  but  pushes  to  the  surface,  and 
appears  usually  in  some  elevated  or  exposed  position,  the  upper  side 
of  the  log,  the  top  of  the  stump,  the  upper  surface  of  its  habitat, 
whatever  that  may  be;  or  even  leaves  its  nutrient  base  entirely  and 
finds  lodging  on  some  neighboring  object.  In  such  emergency  the 
stems  and  leaves  of  flowering  plants  are  often  made  to  serve,  and 
even  fruits  and  flowers  afford  convenient  resting  places.  The  object 
now  to  be  attained  is  not  the  formation  of  fruit  alone,  but  likewise 
its  speedy  desiccation  and  the  prompt  dispersal  of  the  perfected 
spores.  Nothing  can  be  more  interesting  than  to  watch  the  slime- 
mould  as  its  Plasmodium  accomplishes  this  its  last  migration.  If 
hitherto  its  habitat  has  been  the  soft  interior  of  a  rotten  log,  it  now 
begins  to  ooze  out  in  all  directions,  to  well  up  through  the  crevices  of 
the  bark  as  if  pushed  by  some  energy  acting  in  the  rear,  to  stream 
down  upon  the  ground,  to  flow  in  a  hundred  tiny  streams  over  all 
the  region  round  about,  to  climb  all  stems,  ascend  all  branches,  to 
the  height  of  many  inches,  all  to  pass  suddenly  as  if  by  magic  charm 
into  one  widespread,  dusty  field  of  flying  spores.  Or,  to  be  more 
exact,  whatever  the  position  ultimately  assumed,  the  Plasmodium  soon 
becomes  quiescent,  takes  on  definite  and  ultimate  shape,  which  varies 
greatly,  almost  for  each  species.  Thus  it  may  simply  form  a  flat, 
cake-like  mass,  aethaliunij  internally  divided  into  an  indefinite  num- 
ber of  ill-defined  spore  cases,  sporangia;  or  the  Plasmodium  may  take 
the  form  of  a  simple  net,  plasmodiocarp,  whose  cords  stand  out  like 
sw^ollen  veins,  whose  meshes  vary  both  in  form  and  size;  or  more 
commonly  the  whole  protoplasmic  mass  breaks  up  into  little  spheroid- 
al heaps  which  may  be  sessile  directly  on  the  substratum,  or  may  be 
lifted  on  tiny  stems,  stipitate,  which  may  rest  in  turn  upon  a  common 
sheet-like  film,  or  more  or  less  continuous  net,  spreading  beneath 
them  all,  the  hypothallus.  In  any  case,  each  differentiated  portion  of 
the  Plasmodium,  portion  poorly  or  well  defined,  elongate,  net-like, 
spheroidal,    elliptical,    or  of   whatever   shape,   becomes    at   length    a 


INTRODUCTORY  5 

sporangium,  spore-case,  receptacle  for  the  development  and  tempo- 
rary preservation  of  the  spores.  ^ 

The  slime-moulds  were  formerly  classed  with  the  gasteromycetous 
fungi,  pufiE-balls,  and  in  description  of  their  fruiting  phase  the  terms 
applicable  to  the  de^scription  of  a  puff-ball  are  still  employed,  al- 
though it  will  be  understood  that  the  structures  described  are  not  in 
the  two  cases  homologous;  analogous  only.  The  sporangium  of  the 
slime-mould  exhibits  usually  a  distinct  peridiunij  or  outer  limiting 
wall,  which  is  at  first  continuous,  enclosing  the  spores  and  their  at- 
tendant machinery,  but  at  length  ruptures,  irregularly  as  a  rule,  and 
so  suffers  the  contents  to  escape.  The  peridium  may  be  double, 
varies  in  texture,  color,  persistence,  and  so  forth,  as  will  be  more 
fully  set  forth  in  the  several  specific  descriptions.  The  peridium 
blends  with  the  hypothallus  below  when  such  structure  is  recog- 
nizable, either  directly,  when  the  sporangium  is  sessile,  or  by  the 
intervention  of  a  stipe.  The  stipe  may  be  hollow,  may  contain  color- 
ing matter  of  some  sort,  or  may  even  contain  peculiar  spore-like  cells 
or  spores ;  is  often  furrowed,  and  in  some  cases  shows  a  disposition  to 
unite  or  blend  with  the  stalks  of  neighboring  sporangia.  In  many 
cases  the  stipe  is  continued  upward,  more  or  less  definitely  into  the 
cavity  of  the  sporangium,  and  there  forms  the  columellaj  sometimes 
simple  and  rounded,  like  the  analogous  structure  in  the  Mucores, 
sometimes  as  in  Cornatricha,  branching  again  and  again  in  wonderful 
richness  and  complexity. 

Each  sporangium  is  at  maturity  filled  with  numerous  unicellular 
spores.  These  are  usually  spherical,  sometimes  flattened  at  various 
points  by  mutual  contact;  they  are  of  various  colors,  more  commonly 
yellow  or  violet  brown,  are  sometimes  smooth  (?),  but  generally 
roughened  either  by  the  presence  of  minute  warts,  or  spines,  or  by 
the  occurence  of  more  or  less  strongly  elevated  bands  dividing  retic- 
ulately  the  entire  surface.  The  spores  are  in  all  cases  small  3-20/*, 
and  reveal  their  surface  characters  only  under  the  most  excellent 
lenses. 

Associated  with  the  spores  in  the  sporangium  occurs  the  capillitium. 
This  consists  of  most  delicate  thread-  or  hair-like  elements,  offering 

^  See,  however,  Ceratiomyxa,  p.  18,  following. 


6  INTRODUCTORY 

great  variety  both  in  form  and  structure.  The  threads  composing  the 
capillitium  are  not  to  be  regarded,  even  when  free,  as  cells,  nor  even 
of  cellular  origin;  probably,  as  would  appear  from  the  researches  of 
Strasburger  and  Harper,  all  forms  of  capillitial  threads  arise  in  con- 
nection with  vacuoles  in  the  protoplasmic  mass.  "Whether  the 
thread  is  hollow  or  solid,  simple  or  branched,  free  or  connected  with 
the  peridium  or  a  columella,  —  these  are  entirely  secondary  condi- 
tions, depending  on  the  extent  and  form  of  the  vacuoles."  ^  They 
may  occur  singly  or  be  combined  into  a  net,  they  may  be  terete  or 
flat,  attached  to  the  peridial  wall  or  free,  simple  or  adorned  with 
bands  or  spires  and  knobs  in  every  variety,  uniform  or  profusely 
knotted  and  thickened  at  intervals,  and  burdened  with  calcic  par- 
ticles. In  many  cases,  the  capillitium  contributes  materially  to  the 
dispersal  of  the  spores;  in  others,  it  doubtless  contributes  mechan- 
ically to  the  support  of  the  peridial  wall,  and  renders  so  far  per- 
sistent the  delicate  sporangium.  For  more  exact  description  the 
reader  is  again  referred  to  the  specific  delineations  which  follow. 

The  transition  from  phase  to  phase  requires,  as  intimated,  no 
great  length  of  time.  Tibnadoche  polycephala  completed  the  transi- 
tion from  vegetative  to  fruiting  phase  in  less  than  twelve  hours. 

The  germination  of  the  spores  ensues  closely  upon  their  dispersal 
or  maturity  and  is  unique  in  many  respects.-    The  wall  of  the  spore 

1  Harper  in  Botanical  Gazette,  Vol.  XXX.,  p.  219. 

-  The  following  germination  periods  are  furnished  by  Dr.  Constantineanu 
{Inaugural  Dissertation  ueber  die  Ent<wickelungsbedingungen  der  Myxomy- 
ceten;  Halle,   1907). 

Reticularia    ly  coper  don 30  to  60  min. 

Fuligo    ovata 30  to  90  min. 

Stcmonitis   splendens 5  to     6  hrs. 

Perichaena  depressa 5  to     8  hrs. 

Amaurochaete   atra 6  to  10  hrs. 

Arcyria   incarnata 8  to  10  hrs. 

Lycogala    epidendrum to  60  hrs. 

Physarum    didermoides 1  to  10  da. 

Dictydium   cancellatum 1  to  20  da. 

These  records  are  for  sowings  in  drop  cultures,  in  distilled  water,  kept  at 
temperature  of  65°-70°  F.   (18°-20°   C). 

Our  own  experiments  have  been  made  both  with  distilled  water  and  tap- 
water   with   the   advantage   in   favor   of   the   latter.     Dictydium    cancellatum 


INTRODUCTORY  7 

is  ruptured  and  the  protoplasmic  content  escapes  as  a  zoospore  indis- 
tinguishable so  far  from  an  amoeba,  or  from  the  zoospore  of  our 
chytridiaceous  fungi.  This  amoeboid  zoospore  is  without  cell-wall, 
changes  its  outline,  and  moves  slowly  by  creeping  or  flowing  from 
point  to  point.  At  this  stage  many  of  the  spores  assume  each  a 
flagellate  cilium,  and  so  acquire  power  of  more  rapid  locomotion. 
The  zoospores,  whether  ciliate  or  not,  thus  enjoy  independent  ex- 
istence and  are  capable  of  continuing  such  existence  for  some  time, 
assimilating,  growing,  and  even  reproducing  themselves  by  simple 
fission,  over  and  over  again.  This  takes  place,  of  course,  only  in  the 
presence  of  suitable  nutrient  media. 

Nevertheless  the  spores  of  many  species  germinate  quickly  simply 
in  water,  and  a  drop  suspended  in  the  form  of  the  ordinary  drop- 
culture  on  a  cover-glass  affords  ample  opportunity.  In  the  course 
of  time,  usually  not  more  than  two  or  three  days,  the  swarm  spores 
cease  their  activity,  lose  their  cilia,  and  come  to  rest,  exhibiting  at 
most  nothing  more  than  the  slow  amoeboid  movement  already  referred 
to.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  days  more,  in  favorable  cases,  the 
little  spores  begin  to  assemble  and  flow  together;  at  first  into  small 
aggregations,  then  larger,  until  at  length  all  have  blended  in  one 
creeping  protoplasmic  mass  to  form  thus  once  again  the  Plasmodium, 
or  plasmodial  phase  with  which  the  round  began.  Small  plasmodia 
may  generally  be  thus  obtained  artificially  from  drop-cultures.  Such, 
however,  in  the  experience  of  the  writer,  are  with  difficulty  kept  alive. 
Hay  infusions,  infusions  of  rotten  wood,  etc.,  may  sometimes  for  a 
time  give  excellent  results. 

The  spores  of  Didymium  crustaceum  were  sown  upon  a  heap  of 
leaves  in  autumn.  An  abundant  display  of  the  same  species  followed 
in  the  next  June ;  but,  of  course,  the  intervening  phases  were  not 
observed.  The  most  satisfactory  studies  are  obtained  by  plasmodia 
carefully  brought  in  directly  from  the  field.     A  Plasmodium  that  ap- 

germinates  in  tap-water  at  temperature  70°-80°  F.  in  12-15  hours  fresh  from 
the  field.  Fuligo  ovata  spores  were  all  swarming  in  about  one  hour  at  the 
same  temperature.  Jahn  {Myxomycetcnstudien;  Ber.  der  Deutschen  Bot. 
Ges.  Bd.  XXIIL,  p.  495)  finds  that  the  germination  in  some  cases  as  Stemo- 
nitis  species,  is  hastened  by  wetting,  then  drying,  then  wetting  again. 

Pinoy  thinks  microbes  aid  in  germination  {Bull.  Soc.  Myc.  de  France  T. 
XVIII.). 


8  INTRODUCTORY 

peared  suddenly  and  passed  to  fruit  on  agar  in  a  petri  dish  offers  a 
valuable  suggestion  for  further  research. 

With  such  a  life-history  as  that  thus  briefly  sketched,  it  is  small 
wonder  that  the  taxonomic  place  of  the  slime-moulds  is  a  matter  of 
uncertainty,  not  to  say  perplexity.  So  long  as  men  studied  the 
ripened  fruit,  the  sporangia  and  the  spores,  with  the  marvellous 
capillitium,  there  seemed  little  difficulty;  the  myxomycetes  were 
fungi,  related  to  the  puff-balls,  and  in  fact  to  be  classed  in  the  same 
natural  order.  The  synonymy  of  some  of  the  more  noticeable  species 
affords  a  very  interesting  epitome  of  the  history  of  scientific  thought  in 
this  particular  field  of  investigation.  Thus  the  first  described  slime- 
mould  identifiable  by  its  description  is  Lycogala  epidendrum 
(Buxbaum)  Fries,  the  most  puff-ball  looking  of  the  whole  series. 
Ray,  in  1690,  called  thi^  Fungus  coccineus.  In  1718,  Ruppinus  de- 
scribed the  same  thing  as  Lycoperdon  sanguineum;  Dillenius  at  about 
the  same  time,  as  Bovista  miniata;  and  it  was  not  until  1729,  that 
Micheli  so  far  appreciated  the  structure  of  the  little  puff-ball  as  to 
give  it  a  definite,  independent,  generic  place  and  title,  Lycogala 
globosum     .    .     .    .    ,  etc.^ 

But  Micheli's  light  was  too  strong  for  his  generation.  As  Fries, 
one  hundred  years  later  quaintly  says,  .  .  .  "immortalis  Micheli 
tam  claram  lucem  accendit  ut  succesores  proximi  earn  ne  ferre  qui- 
dem  potuerint."  Notwithstanding  Micheli's  clear  distinctions,  he  was 
entirely  disregarded,  and  our  little  Lycogala  was  dubbed  Lycoperdon 
and  Mucor  down  to  the  end  of  the  century;  and  so  it  was  not  till 
1790  that  Persoon  comes  around  to  the  standpoint  of  Micheli  and 
writes  Lycogala  miniata.  Fries  himself,  reviewing  the  labors  of  his 
predecessors  all,  grouped  the  slime-moulds  as  a  sub-order  of  the  gas- 
teromycetes  and  gave  expression  to  his  view  of  their  nature  and  posi- 
tion when  he  named  the  sub-order  Myxogastres.  In  1833,  Link, 
having  more  prominently  in  mind  the  minuteness  of  most  of  the 
species  collocated  by  Fries,  and  perceiving  perhaps  more  clearly  even 
than  the  great  mycologist  the  entire  independence  of  the  group,  sug- 
gested as  a  substitute  for  the  sub-order  Myxogastres,  the  order 
Myxomycetes,  slime-moulds.     Link's  decision  passed  unchallenged  for 

1  The  Plasmodium  in  this  case  chances  to  be  red,  scarlet,  etc. 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

nearly  thirty  years.     The  slime-moulds  were  set  apart  by  themselves ; 
they  were  fungi  without  question  and,  of  course,  plants. 
^     If  the  hypha  is  the  morphological  test  of  a  fungus,  then  it  is  plain 
that  the  slime-moulds  are  not  fungi.     No  myxomycete  has  hyphse, 
nor  indeed  anything  at  all  of  the  kind.     Nevertheless,  there  are  cer- 
tain parasitic  fungi,   Chytridiaceae  for  example,  whose  relationships 
plainly  entitle  them  to  a  place  among  the  hyphate  forms  that  have 
no  hyphae  whatever  in  the  entire  round  of  their  life-history.     These 
are,  however,  exceptional  cases  and  really  do  not  bear  very  closely  on 
the  question  at  issue. 

Physiologically,  the  fungi  are  incapable  of  independent  existence, 
being  destitute  of  chlorophyl.  In  this  respect  the  slime-moulds  are 
like  the  fungi ;  they  are  nearly  all  saprophytes  and  absolutely  destitute 
of  chlorophyl.  Unfortunately  this  physiological  character  is  identi- 
cally that  one  which  the  fungi  share  with  the  whole  animal  world, 
so  that  the  startling  inquiry  instantly  rises,  are  the  slime-moulds 
plants  at  all  ?  Are  they  not  animals  ?  Do  not  their  amoeboid  spores 
and  Plasmodia  ally  them  at  once  to  the  amoeba  and  his  congeners,  to 
all  the  monad,  rhizopodal  world?  This  is  the  position  suggested  by 
DeBary  in  1858,  and  adopted  since  by  many  distinguished  authorities, 
among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Saville  Kent,  of  England,  and 
Dr.  William  Zopf,  of  Germany,  in  Die  Pilzthiere,  1885.  Rosta- 
finski  was  a  pupil  of  DeBary's.  However,  his  volume  on  the  slime- 
moulds  was  written  after  leaving  the  laboratory;  and  no  doubt  with 
the  suggestion  of  his  master  still  before  his  mind,  he  adopts  the  title 
Mycetozoa,  as  indicating  a  closer  relationship  with  the  animal  world, 
but  our  leading  authority  really  has  little  to  say  in  regard  to  the 
matter.^ 

Dr.  Schroeter,  a  recent  writer  on  the  subject,  after  showing  the 
probable  connection  between  the  phycochromaceous  Algae  and  the 
simplest  colorless  forms,  namely,  the  Schizomycetes,  goes  on  to  re- 
mark: "At  the  same  point  where  the  Schizomycetous  series  take 
rise,  there  begin  certain  other  lines  of  development  among  the  most 
diminutive  protoplasmic  masses.     .     .     .     Through  the  amoebae  one 

^  "Die  Myxomyceten  sind  ebenso  den  Pilzen  wie  den  echten  Thieren  ver- 
•wandt." — Rostafinski;  closing  sentence  of  the  Versuch,  thesis  for  his  doctorate 
at  the  University  of  Strasburg,   1873. 


10  INTRODUCTORY 

of  these  lines  gives  rise  on  the  one  hand  to  rhizopods  and  sponges  in 
the  animal  kingdom,  on  the  other  to  the  Myxomycetes  among  the 
fungi."  This  ranges  the  Myxomycetes,  in  origin  at  least,  near  the 
Schizomycetes. 

The  brilliant  studies  of  Dr.  Thaxter,  resulting  in  the  discovery  and 
recognition  of  a  new  group,  a  new  order  of  the  schizomycetes,  strik- 
ingly confirm  the  judgment  of  Schroeter.^  Here  we  have  forms 
that  strangely  unite  characteristics  of  both  the  groups  in  question. 
If  on  the  one  hand  the  Myxobacteria  are  certainly  schizomycetes, 
on  the  other  they  just  as  certainly  ofJer  in  their  developmental  history 
"phenomena  closely  resembling  those  presented  by  plasmodia  or 
pseudo-plasmodia  .  .  "  Now  the  schizophytes  certainly  pass  by 
gradations  easy  to  the  filamentous  algae,  and  so  to  relationship  with 
the  plants,  and  the  discovery  of  the  Myxobacteriacae,  brings  the 
myxomycetes  very  near  the  vegetable  kingdom  if  not  within  it. 

All  authorities  agree  that  the  myxomycetes  have  no  connection  in 
the  direction  of  upward  development,  "keinen  Anschluss  nach  oben," 
if  then  their  only  relationship  with  other  organisms  is  to  be  found  at 
the  bottom  (centre)  of  the  series  only,  it  is  purely  a  matter  of  in- 
difference whether  we  say  plant  or  animal,  for  at  the  only  point 
where  there  is  connection  there  is  no  distinction. 

But  why  call  them  either  animals  or  plants?  Was  Nature  then  so 
poor  that  forsooth  only  two  lines  of  differentiation  were  at  the  begin- 
ning open  for  her  effort  ?  May  we  not  rather  believe  that  life's  tree 
may  have  risen  at  first  in  hundreds  of  tentative  trunks  of  which  two 
have  become  in  the  progress  of  the  ages  so  far  dominant  as  to  entirely 
obscure  less  progressive  types?  The  Myxomycetes  are  independent; 
all  that  we  may  attempt  is  to  assert  their  near  kinship  with  one  or 
other  of  life's  great  branches. 

The  cellulose  of  the  slime-mould  looks  toward  the  world  of  plants. 
The  aerial  fructification  and  stipitate  habit  of  the  higher  forms  tends 
in  the  same  direction.  The  disposition  to  attach  themselves  to  some 
fixed  base  is  a  curious  characteristic  of  plants,  more  pronounced  as  we 
ascend  the  scale ;  but  by  no  means  lacking  in  many  of  the  simplest, 
diatoms,  filamentous  algae,  etc.,  and  it  is  quite  as  reasonable  to  call  a 
vorticella,  or  a  stentor,  by  virtue  of  his  stipitate  form  and  habit,  a 

^Botanical  Gazette,  XVII.,  pp.  389,  etc.;   1892. 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

plant  as  to  call  a  slime-mould  an  animal  because  in  one  stage  of  its 
history  it  resembles  an  amoeba.  The  total  life  of  an  organism  in  any 
case  must  be  taken  into  account.^  At  the  outset  plants  and  animals 
are  alike ;  there  is  no  doubt  about  it ;  they  differ  in  the  course  of  their 
life-histories.  The  Plasmodium  is  the  vegetative  phase  of  the  slime- 
mould.  It  needs  no  cell-walls  of  cellulose,  no  more  than  do  the 
dividing  cells  of  a  lily-endosperm ;  both  are  nourished  by  organic  food 
and  resort  to  walls  only  as  conditions  change.  The  possession  of  walls 
is  an  indication  of  some  maturity.  In  the  slime-mould  the  assumption 
of  walls  is  indeed  delayed.  Walls  at  length  appear  and  when  they. 
do  come  they  are  like  those  of  the  lily;  they  are  cellulose.  The 
myxomycetes  may  be  regarded  as  a  section  of  the  organic  world  in 
which  the  forces  of  heredity  are  at  a  maximum  whatever  those  forces 
may  be.  Slime-moulds  have  in  smallest  degree  responded  to  the  stim- 
ulus of  enviroment.  They  have,  it  is  true,  escaped  the  sea,  the  fresh 
waters  in  part,  and  become  adapted  to  habitation  on  dry  land,  but 
nothing  more.  It  is  instructive  to  reflect  that  even  in  her  most  highly 
differentiated  forms  the  channel  which  Nature  elects  for  the  trans- 
missal  of  all  that  heredity  may  bestow,  is  naught  else  than  a  minute 
mass  of  naked  protoplasm.  Nature  reverts,  we  say,  to  her  most  an- 
cient and  simple  phases,  and  heredity  is  still  consonant  with  apparent 
simplicity ;  apparent  we  say,  for  as  becomes  increasingly  evident,  noth- 
inging  that  lives  is  simple ! 

The  fact  is  the  Myxomycetes  constitute  an  exceedingly  well-defined 
group,  and  the  question  of  relationship  in  any  direction  need  not  much 
perplex  the  student.  Least  of  all  is  the  question  to  be  settled  by  any- 
body's dictum,  which  is  apt  to  be  positive  inversely  in  proportion  to 
the  speaker's  acquaintance  with  the  subject.  No  one  test  can  be 
applied  as  a  universal  touchstone  to  separate  plants   from  animals. 

1  Researches  of  Olive,  Trans.  JFis.  Acad.  Set.,  Arts  and  Let.,  XV.,  Pt,  2,  p. 
771,  and  of  Jahn,  Ber.  d.  Deutseh  Bot.  Ges.  XXVI.,  p.  342,  and  XXIX.,  p.  231, 
demonstrate  synapsis,  and  accordingly  some  form  of  alternation  among  the 
slime-moulds.  From  the  protracted  and  painstaking  investigation  of  the  Ger- 
man author  it  appears  that  in  Didymium  at  least,  and  probably  Badliamia 
synapsis  immediately  precedes  spore-formation  as  in  Ceratiomyxa;  that  the 
amoeboid  issue  of  the  spores  are  haploid;  the  nuclei  of  the  plasmodium, 
diploid;  that  the  ordinary  vegetative  plasmodium  is  accordingly  sporophytic. 
That  is,  the  sporophytic  phase  is  dominant,  as  in  higher  plants. 


12  INTRODUCTORY 

Such  is  simply  petitio  principii.  Nor  is  there  any  advantage  at  present 
apparent  in  attempts  to  associate  slime-moulds  with  other  presumably 
related  groups.  Saville  Kent's  effort  to  join  them  with  the  sponges 
was  not  happy,  and  Dr.  Zopf's  association  of  the  slime-moulds  and 
monads  appears  forced,  at  best;  for  when  it  comes  to  the  consideration 
of  the  former,  their  systematic  and  even  morphological  treatment,  he 
is  compelled  to  deal  with  them  by  themselves  under  headings  such  as 
"Eumycetozoen,"  "Hohere  Pilzthiere,"  etc.  One  rather  commends 
the  discreetness  of  DeBary,  whose  painstaking  investigations  first 
called  attention  to  the  uncertain  position  of  the  group.  After  review- 
ing the  results  of  all  his  labors  DeBary  does  not  quite  relegate  the 
slime-moulds  to  the  zoologist  for  further  consideration,  but  simply 
says:^  "From  naked  amoeba,  with  which  the  Mycetozoa  (^Myxo- 
mycetes)  are  connected  in  ascending  line,  the  zoologists  with  reason 
derive  the  copiously  and  highly  developed  section  of  the  shell-forming 
Rhizopoda  .  .  .  And  since  there  are  sufficient  grounds  for  placing 
the  rhizopods  outside  the  vegetable  and  in  the  animal  kingdom,  and 
this  is  undoubtedly  the  true  position  for  the  amcebje,  which  are  their 
earlier  and  simpler  forms,  the  Mycetozoa,  which  may  be  directly  de- 
rived from  the  same  stem,  are  at  least  brought  very  near  to  the  do- 
main of  zoology." 

Notwithstanding  all  the  controversy  in  regard  to  the  matter,  the 
study  of  the  slime-moulds  still  rests  chiefly  with  the  botanists.  A 
simple  phylogenetic  scheme  for  thallophytes  is  offered  in  the  Stras- 
burger  text  as  follows : — 

THALLOPHYTA 

1.  SCHIZOPHYTA 

Bacteria 

CvANOPHYCEiE 

2.  FLAGELLATA 

f  Myxomycetes 
Peridine^ 

COKJUGATiE 
HETEROCONTi^ 

,  (  Chlorophyce^ 

(  CHARACEiE 

3.  RHODOPHYCE^ 

4.  FUNGI 

1  Cf.,  1884,  Ver.  Morp/i.  u.  Biol,  der  Pilz.  Mycet.  u.  BacL,  p.  478.  Italics, 
in  quotations,  ours. 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

About  500  species  of  slime-moulds  have  been  described.  Saccardo 
enumerates  443,  inclusive  of  those  denominated  doubtful  or  less  per- 
fectly know^n.  These  443  species  are  distributed  among  47  genera, 
of  which  15  are  represented  by  but  a  single  species  each, —  mono- 
typic.  In  the  United  States  there  have  been  recognized  about  300 
species.  Of  those  here  described,  some  are  almost  world-vv^ide  in 
their  distribution,  others  are  limited  to  comparatively  narrow  boun- 
daries. The  greater  number  occur  in  the  temperate  regions  of  the 
earth,  although  many  are  reported  from  the  tropics,  and  some  even 
from  the  arctic  zone.  Schroeter  found  Physarum  cinereum  at  North 
Cape.  Our  Iowa  forms  are  much  more  numerous  in  the  eastern, 
that  is,  the  wooded  regions  of  the  state.  Physarum  cinereum  has 
however  been  taken  on  the  untouched  prairie,  and  on  the  western 
deserts,  as  also  Physarum  contextum  on  the  decaying  stem  of  Cala- 
magrostisj  far  from  forest 

As  to  the  economic  importance  of  our  myxomycetes,  there  is  no 
long  chapter  to  write.  Fries  says:  "Usu  in  vita  communi  parum 
admodum  sese  commendant,  sed  in  oeconomia  naturae  certe  non  sper- 
nendi.  Multa  insectorum  genera  ex  eorum  sporidiis  unica  capiunt 
nutrimenta."  However  this  may  be,  there  is  one  species  which  has 
come  to  light  since  Fries's  day  which  is  the  source  of  no  inconsiderable 
mischief  to  the  agriculturist.  Plasmodiophora  brassicae  occasions  the 
disease  known  as  "club-root"  in  cabbage,  and  has  been  often  made 
the  subject  of  discussion  in  our  agricultural  and  botanical  journals.^ 
Aside  from  the  injurious  tendencies,  possible  or  real,  of  the  forms 
mentioned,  I  know  not  that  all  other  slime-moulds  of  all  the  world, 
taken  all  together,  affect  in  any  slightest  measure  the  hap  or  fortune 
of  man  or  nation.  And  yet,  if  in  the  economic  relations  of  things, 
man's  intellectual  life  is  to  be  considered,  then  surely  come  the  un- 
certain myxos,  with  their  fascinating  problems  proffered  still  in 
forms  of  unapproachable  delicacy  and  beauty,  not  without  inspiration. 

1  See  Journal  of  Mycology,  Washington,  D.  C,  Vol.  VII.,  No.  2 ;  also 
Bulletin  No.  66,  Agric.  Station  of  Vermont.  See  also  Bull.  33  Arizona  Agric. 
Ex.  Station:  An  Inquiry  into  the  Cause  and  Nature  of  Crown-Gall.  J.  W. 
Tuomey.  Also  Bull.  Torrey  Bot.  Club,  Vol.  21,  p.  26,  where  it  appears  that 
club-root  may  attack  crucifers  generally. 

Professor  B.  M.  Duggar  in  Fungous  Diseases  of  Plants,  pp.  97-102,  gives 
to  club-root  an  illustrated  chapter. 


14  INTRODUCTORY 

Collection  and  Care  of  Slime-Mould  Material 

On  this  subject  a  word  may  here  be  appropriate.  As  just  now  inti- 
mated, specimens  may  be  taken  at  the  appropriate  season  in  almost 
any  or  every  locality.  Beginning  with  the  latter  part  of  May  or  first 
of  June,  in  the  Northern  states,  plasmodia  are  to  be  found  everywhere 
on  piles  of  organic  refuse:  in  the  woods,  especially  about  fallen  and 
rotting  logs,  undisturbed  piles  of  leaves,  beds  of  moss,  stumps,  by  the 
seeping  edge  of  melting  snow  on  mountain  sides,  by  sedgy  drain  or 
swamp,  nor  less  in  the  open  field  where  piles  of  straw  or  herbaceous 
matter  of  any  sort  sinks  in  undisturbed  decay.  Within  fifty  years 
tree-planting  in  all  the  prairie  states  has  greatly  extended  the  range 
of  many  more  definitely  woodland  species,  so  that  species  of  Stemo- 
nitisj  for  instance,  are  common  in  the  groves  on  farms  far  into  Ne- 
braska and  Dakota.  In  any  locality  the  plasmodia  pass  rapidly  to 
fruit,  but  not  infrequently  a  Plasmodium  in  June  will  be  succeeded 
in  the  same  place  by  others  of  the  same  species,  on  and  on,  until  the 
cold  of  approaching  winter  checks  all  vital  phenomena.  The  process 
of  fruiting  should  be  watched  as  far  as  possible,  and  for  herbarium 
material,  allowed  to  pass  to  perfection  in  the  field. 

Specimens  collected  should  be  placed  immediately  in  boxes  in  such 
a  way  as  to  suffer  no  injury  in  transport;  beautiful  material  is  often 
ruined  by  lack  of  care  on  the  part  of  the  collector.  Once  at  the 
herbarium,  specimens  may  be  mounted  by  gluing  the  supporting  mate- 
rial to  the  bottom  of  a  small  box.  Boxes  of  uniform  size  and  depth 
may  be  secured  for  the  purpose.  Some  collectors  prefer  to  fasten  the 
specimen  to  a  piece  of  stiff  paper,  of  a  size  to  be  pressed  into  the  box 
snugly,  but  which  may  be  removed  at  pleasure.  Every  pains  must  in 
any  case  be  taken  to  exclude  insects.  Against  such  depredators  occa- 
sional baking  of  the  boxes  on  the  steam  radiator  in  winter  is  found  to 
be  an  efficient  remedy. 

For  simple  microscopic  examination  it  will  be  found  convenient  to 
first  wet  the  material  with  alcohol  on  the  slide,  then  with  a  weak 
solution  of  potassic  hydrate,  to  cause  the  spores  and  other  structures  to 
assume  proper  plumpness.  A  little  glycerine  may  be  added  or  run 
under  the  cover  if  it  is  desired  to  preserve  the  material  for  further  or 
prolonged  study.     For  permanent  mounting  nothing  in  most  cases  is 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

better  than  glycerine  jelly.  As  a  preparation,  the  material  should  lie 
for  some  time  in  Hantsch's  fluid/  opportunity  being  given  for  evapo- 
ration of  the  alcohol  and  water.  When  the  material  shows  the 
proper  clearness  and  fulness,  it  may  be  mounted  in  jelly  in  the  usual 
way.  Kaiser's  formula  gives  beautiful  results.  After  mounting,  the 
preparation  should  be  sealed  with  some  good  cement,  as  Hollis's 
glue. 

1^  Hantsch's  Fluid:  — 

Alcohol  90% three  parts 

Water two  parts 

Glycerine one  part 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN 
SLIME-MOULDS 

THE    MYXOMYCETES    (Link)  DeBary 

Chlorophyl-less  organisms  whose  vegetative  phase  consists  of  a 
naked  mass  of  multinuclear  protoplasm,  the  Plasmodium;  reproduced 
by  spores  which  are  either  free  or  more  commonly  enclosed  in 
sporangia,  and  which  on  germinating  produce  ciliated  or  amoeboid 
zoospores,  whose  coalescence  gives  rise  to  the  Plasmodium. 

The  Myxomycetes  are, — 

A.  Parasites,  in  the  cells  of  living  plants       .        .         .         PHYTOMYXiNiE 

B.  Saprophytes,  developed   in  connection  with  decaying  vegetable  matter: 

a.  With   free   spores ExosPOREiE 

b.  With  spores  in  receptacles  or  sporangia     .         .         Myxogastres 

Sub-Class  PHYTOMYXIN^  Schroeter 
1889.  Phytomyxinae  Schroeter,  Engl.  u.  Prantl.,  I.,  i.,  pp.  1  and  5. 
The  parasitic  Myxomycetes  affecting  plants  include  but  few  (four 
or  five)  species,  distributed  among  four  genera.  All  are  parasites  in 
the  cells  of  particular  hosts;  their  vegetative  phase  is  plasmodial  and 
their  spores  are  formed  by  the  simultaneous  breaking  up  of  the  Plas- 
modium into  an  indefinite  number  of  independent  cells.  But  a  single 
genus  need  here  concern  us, — 

Plasmodiophora  Woronin 

1879.     Plasmodiophora  Woronin,  Pringsh.  Jahrb.,  XI.,  p.  548. 

Parasitic  in  the  parenchymatous  cells  of  the  roots  of  living  plants, 
causing  noticeable  enlargement  of  the  affected  organ,  producing  at 
length  galls,  knots,  and  various  deformities  and  distortions.  Spores 
spherical,  smooth,  colorless,  16  /-i. 

3  17 


18  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

I.     Plasmodiophora  brassic^  Woronin. 
1879.     Plasmodiophora   brassicae  Woronin,   op.   c'tt. 

This  species,  typical  of  forms  so  far  reported  in  this  country,  in- 
fests the  roots  of  cabbages,^  and  produces  a  very  serious  disease  of 
that  vegetable.  In  England  the  malady  has  long  been  known  under 
the  names  "clubbing,"  "fingers  and  toes,"  etc.  The  roots  affected 
swell  greatly,  and  at  length  resemble  sometimes  the  flexed  fingers  of 
the  human  hand ;  hence  the  English  name.  As  the  disease  progresses, 
the  roots  speedily  rot  away,  to  the  serious  injury  of  the  leaf-bearing 
portion  of  the  plant.  In  badly  affected  fields,  sometimes  one-half  of 
the  crop  is  utterly  destroyed.  Careful  search  continued  through  sev- 
eral years  has  not  availed  to  bring  this  species  to  my  personal  ac- 
quaintance. 

For  a  full  account  of  the  parasitism  of  this  species  and  its  distri- 
bution in  the  United  States  see  Jour.  Myc,  VII.,  p.  79;  also  Bull. 
66,  Agric.  Sta.  of  Vermont. 

Sub-Class  EXOSPOREiE  Rost. 

1873.     Exosporeae  Rostafinski,   Versuch,  p.  2. 

Spores  developed,  superficially,  outside  the  fructification,  wliich 
consists  of  sporophores,  membranous,  or  slender  and  branching ;  spores 
white,  stalked.     A  single  genus,  — 

Ceratiomyxa  Schroeter 

1889.  Ceratiomyxa  Schroeter,  Engl.  u.  Prantl,  I.,  i.,  p.  16.  For  further 
synonj'my,  see  under  first  species. 

Sporangia  none ;  spores  superficial,  borne  on  erect  papi^a^  or  pillars, 
or  even  on  the  inside  of  minute  depressions  or  pits;  each  spore  sur- 
mounting a  delicate  pedicel  or  stalk.  The  spores  on  germinating 
give  rise  to  amoeboid  zoospores,  which  undergo  repeated  divisions, 
later  become  ciliate,  and  at  length  again  amoeboid  to  blend  into  gen- 
uine Plasmodia.  At  maturity  the  Plasmodium  gives  rise  to  numerous 
minute  divisions,  each  of  which  may  lengthen  in  a  direction  perpen- 
dicular to  the  surface  and  bear  a  spore  at  the  tip. 
1  For  other  crucifers,  see  Bull.  Torr.  Bat.  Club,  xxi,  pp.  76-8. 


EXO  SPORES  19 

The  homologies  between  the  structures  just  described  and  the  fruc- 
tification of  the  ordinary  slime-mould  are  somewhat  obscure,  if 
indeed  any  really  exist.  Are  these  minute  reproductive  bodies  spores? 
—  their  behavior  on  germination  is  unique;  are  they  sporangia? 
— the  arrested  development  they  exhibit  is  none  the  less  puzzling. 
Perhaps  the  sporiferous  pillars  represent  incipient  stipes,  the  spores 
the  uncombined  fragments  of  what  might  otherwise  have  coalesced  at 
the  summit  of  the  pillar  to  form  a  true  sporangium.^ 

Several  species  have  been  recognized,  all  referable  probably  to  one 
or  two,  or  at  most,  four  forms.  That  universally  recognized  alike  in 
the  literature  of  the  past  and  in  recent  studies  is, — 

1.     Ceratiomyxa  fruticulosa   {Muell.)  Macbr. 
Plate  I.,  Figs,  7  and  7  a. 

1729.  Puccinia  ramosa,  bifurcata,  etc.     Micheli,  p.  213,  Tab.  92,  Fig.  2. 

1775.  Byssus  fruticulosa  Miiller,  in  Fl.  Dan.,  t.  718,  Fig.  2. 

1778.  Tremella  hydnoidea  Jacquin,  Misc.,  Vol.  I.,  t.  16. 

1783.  Clavaria  puccinia  Batsch,  Elench.  Fung.,  p.   139,   Fig.  19. 

1791.  Puccinia  byssoides  Gmelin,  Syst.  Naturae,  p.  1462. 

1791.  Clavaria  byssoides  Bulliard,  Champ,  de  la  France,  t.  415,  Fig.  2. 

1794.  Isaria  mucida  Pers.,  Romer,  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  121. 

1801.  Isaria  mucida  Pers.,  Syn.  Meth.,  p.  688. 

1805.  Ceratium  hydnoides  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Consp.  Fung.,  p.  258. 

1811.  Ceratiomyxa  porioides   (A.  &  S.)    Schroet.,  Mycet.,  p.  26,  var. 

1829.  Ceratium  hydnoides  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  294. 

1872.  Ceratium  hydnoides  Won  &  Fam.,  Mem.  Acad.  Imp.,  Petersburg. 

1887.  Ceratium  hydnoides  DeBary,  Comp.  Morph.  Fung.,  p.  432. 

1889.  Ceratiomyxa  mucida  Schroeter,  Engl.  u.  Prantl  Nat.  Pflanz.,  I.,  i., 
p.  16. 

1893.  Ceratiomyxa  mucida,  Pers.,  Macbr,,  Bull.  Nat.  Hist.  loiva,  II,,  p.  114. 

1894.  Ceratiomyxa  mucida  Schroet.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  25. 

Plasmodium  in  rotten  wood,  white  or  nearly  transparent;  when 
fruiting,  forming  on  the  substratum  mould-like  patches  composed  of 
the  minute  sporiferous  pillars,  generally  in  clusters  of  three  or  more 
together;  spores  white,  ovoid,  or  ellipsoidal,  smooth,  10-12X6  /x. 

Very  common,  occurring  in  summer  on  shaded  rotten  logs,  espe- 

^  See  in  reference  to  this  whole  matter,  Myxomycetenstudien  by  E.  Jahn, 
No.  7,  Ceratiomyxa,  1908.  See  also  Olive,  Trans.  IFis.  Acad,  of  Sci.  Arts 
and  Letters,  Vol.  xv,  pi.  II,  p.  771. 


20  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

cially  after  warm  showers  and  in  sultry  weather.  Easily  distinguish- 
able from  all  similar  moulds  by  the  absence  of  mycelium  or  of  any- 
thing like  a  hypha.  In  Europe  the  plant  seems  to  be  in  autumn  ex- 
ceedingly common.  Micheli  not  only  described  the  form  but  figured 
it,  nearly  two  hundred  years  ago.  Micheli's  figure  is  good,  as  is  that 
of  Mueller,  Fl.  Dan.,  1.  c.  Mueller  referred  the  species  to  a  Linnean 
genus  Byssus,  which  seems  to  have  included  Algae  rather  than  any- 
thing else,  if  one  can  determine  its  limits  at  all.  The  same  thing  is 
true  of  Tremella;  but  this  name  is  now  otherwise  applied,  as  are  all 
the  other  generic  names  down  to  Ceratium,  Alb.  &  Schw.  But  this 
had  been  by  Schrank  preoccupied,  1793.  See  the  reference  above  for 
1889.  As  for  specific  name,  there  seems  no  reason  to  depart  from 
the  rule  of  priority,  since  Mueller's  work  is  determinative. 

Ceratiomyxa  arbuscula.  Berk.  &  Br.,  apparently  a  form  of  this,  is 
cited  from  Toronto  by  Miss  Currie.  Massee  gives  it  recognition; 
Lister  as  varietal.  The  sporophores  are  inclined  to  be  simple,  stipi- 
tate  and  dendroid. 

C.  filiforme  of  the  English  authors  latest  named  is  a  wonderful 
thing  and  deserves  a  paragraph  here,  if  not  recognition  as  a  distinct 
species.  It  occurs  rarely;  but  once  it  appears,  attracts  attention.  As 
in  the  historic  species,  the  sporifers  are  white,  stand  more  or  less  erect, 
but  are  every  way  finer  and  larger.  Each  individual  sporifer  rises 
like  a  stiff  stem,  as  of  white  thread,  2—3  mm.  high ;  at  top  a  tuft  of 
fruiting  branchlets,  more  or  less  distinct.  All  taken  together,  w^e 
have  a  dense  mat  completely  concealing  the  substratum  and  spread- 
ing out  sometimes  over  an  area  of  surprising  extent,  several  centi- 
metres square. 

Common  everywhere  in  summer  on  decaying  sticks  and  wood  of 
every  description,  especially  in  wet  places.  Alaska  to  Nicaragua,and 
probably  around  the  world. 

2.     Ceratiomyxa  porioides   {Alb.  &"  Schw.)  Schroeter. 

1805.  Ceratium   porioides  Alb.   &   Schw.,   Consp.  Fung.,  p.   359. 

1829.  Ceratium  porioides  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  295. 

1873.  Ceratium  porioides  Fam.  &  Won  Acad.  Imp.,  XX.,  3,  p.  5. 

1889.  Ceratiomyxa  porioides  Schroet.,  Engl.  u.  Prantl,  I.,  i.,   p.   16. 


MYXOGASTRES  21 

1894.  Ceratiomyxa  mucida  Schroet.  var.  porioides  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  26. 
1899.  Ceratiomyxa  porioides  Alb,  &  Schw.  (Schroet.),  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  19. 
1911.     Ceratiomyxa  porioides  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Schroet.,  List.  Mycet.,  p.  26,  var. 

Entire  fructification  confluent  forming  a  mucilaginous  mass, 
porose.  Pores  ample,  angulate,  at  length  radiate-dentate.  Spores  as 
in  the  preceding.     Plasmodium  yellow. 

Of  these  two  species  Fries  remarks:  ".  .  .  Duse  sunt  distinctis- 
simae,  inter  has  vero  longa  formarum  intermediarum  series."  Fam- 
intzin  and  Woronin  not  only  concur,  but  consider  it  were  more 
fitting  to  place  the  present  species  in  a  distinct  genus,  as  Polyporus  is 
set  off  from  Hydnmn.  A  species  based  upon  the  color  of  the  vegeta- 
tive phase  only,  unconfirmed  by  any  subsequent  differential  character 
in  the  fruit  would  seem  somewhat  hazardous.  The  color  of  the 
Plasmodium  is  incident  probably  to  varied  nutrient  environment. 
Pores,  however,  are  usually  in  evidence. 

Iowa,  Tennessee,  Missouri,  etc.;  probably  common  everywhere. 


Sub-Class  MYXOGASTRES  {Fries)  Macbr. 

1829.  Sub-order  Myxogastres  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  67. 

1833.  Sub-order  Myxomycetes  Link,  Handb.  der  Gew.,  3,  p.  405. 

1833.  Sub-order  Myxomycetes  Wallroth,  Fl.  Crypt.,  IL,  p.  333,  in  part. 

1858.  Class  Mycetozoa  DeBary,  Bot.  Zeitung,  1858,  pp.  357-365,  in  part. 

1889.  Class  Myxogastres  Schroeter,  Engl.  u.  Prantl,  Nat.  Pflanz.,  I.,  i., 
p.  16. 

1892.  Class  Myxogastres   (Fries)    Massee,  Monograph,  p.  28. 

1894.  Class  Mycetozoa  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  21,  in  part. 

Except  as  just  described,  the  slime-moulds  present  abundant, 
minute,  unicellular  spores,  enclosed  in  sporangia  more  or  less  per- 
fectly defined,  and  attended  by  peculiar  thread-like  structures,  free  or 
variously  attached  and  conjoined,  the  so-called  capillitium. 

So  far  as  known,  the  spores  on  germination  give  rise  to  zoospores, 
at  first  amoeboid,  later  ciliate,  again  amoeboid,  conjugating  in  pairs, 
then,  in  some  cases,  at  least,  coalescing  and  dividing  indefinitely  to 
form  the  plasmodial  or  vegetative  phase.^ 

1  See  Jahn,  Myxomyceten  Studien  No.  8,  Berlin  1911. 


22  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Key    to    the    Orders    of    the    Myxogastres 

Spore-mass  black  or  violaceous,  rarely  ferruginous     .         .         .         Series  A 

Spore-mass   never   black;    usually  some   shade  of  brown   or  yellow,    rarely 

purplish   or   rosy,   etc Series  B 

Series  A 

1.  Capillitlum  present,  delicate,  thread-like;   sporangia  calcareous  more  or 

less   throughout I.     Physarales 

2.  Capillitium     present,     thread-like,     arising     usually     as     anastomosing 

branches  from  a  well-developed  columella,  which  in  a  single  genus 
contains  lime ;  sporangia  otherwise  non-calcareous     II.    Stemonitales  --'^ 

Series  B 

3.  Capillitium  none,  or  very  imperfectly  developed;  spores  of  some  shade 

of  brown,  rarely  purplish III.    Cribrariales  ,  '' 

4.  Capillitium   the   inwardly   produced   irregular   extremities   of   plates   or 

tubules,  which  by  their  interweaving  outwardly  make  up  the  aethalial 
wall;  spores  pale,  ashen IV.    Lycogalales x-'^ 

5.  Capillitium  made  up  of  more  or  less  distinctly  sculptured  threads,  pari- 

etal or   free,   simple,   branched,  or  reticulate;   spores  commonly  yel- 
low   V.    Trichiales  >^' 

This  sequence  is  meant  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  presence  of  lime 
is  indicative  of  differentiation  less  complete.  That  the  Plasmodium 
should  at  the  outset  eliminate,  by  refusing  the  unnecessary  lime,  is 
indicative  of  higher  rank  than  that  the  lime  should  be  carried  until 
the  last  and  then  be  crystallized  out,  or  excreted  by  simple  desicca- 
tion. The  circumstance  that  the  excreted  lime  may  sometimes  serve 
a  protective  purpose  in  the  fruit,  does  not  vitiate  the  general  prin- 
ciple. In  Series  B  the  differentiation  reaches  a  climax  in  the  sculp- 
tured capillitium  of  the  trichias. 


ORDER  I 

PHYSARALES 

Spores  violaceous-black.  The  capillitium  usually  delicate  and 
thread-like;  peridium  and  capillitium,  one  or  other  or  both,  more  or 
less  extensively  surcharged  with  lime.  Peridium  simple  or  double. 
Fructification  various. 


PHYSARACEM  23 

This  order  is  recognizable  by  several  characteristics,  but  is  espe- 
cially marked  by  the  peculiar  calcareous  deposits  which  affect  the 
capillitium  or  peridium,  now  one,  now  the  other,  more  often  both. 

As  here  defined,  the  order  Physarales  includes  two  distinct  fami- 
lies ;  of  the  one  Physarunij  of  the  other  Didymium,  is  type. 

Key  to  the   Families   of  the   Order  Physarales 

A.  Fructification  often  calcareous  throughout;  capillitium  intricate 

Physaraceae 

B.  Calcareous  deposits,  when  present,  affecting  the  peridium  only,  or  some- 
times the  stipe,  in  the  typical  genus  plainly  crystalline;  capillitium  simple 

Didymiaceae 

A.    PHYSARACEiE 

Key  to  the   Genera  of   the  Physaraceae 

A.  Fructification   zethalioid 1.     Fuligo 

B.  Fructification  plasmodiocarpous  or  of  distinct  sporangia. 

a.  Peridium  evidently  calcareous. 

i.     Capillitium  calcareous  throughout   .         .         2.     Badhamia 
ii.     Capillitium  largely  hyaline. 

*    Sporangia  globose,  etc.;  dehiscence  irregular 

3.     Physarum 
**  Sporangia  vasiform  or  more  or  less  tubular 

t    Dehiscence  by  a  lid  or  more  or  less  circumscis- 

sile 4.      Craterium 

tt    Dehiscence  irregular,  peridium  introverted 

5.    Physarella 

b.  Peridium   apparently  limeless,   at  least  outside. 

i.     Plasmodiocarpous          ....         6.      Cienkoivskia 
ii.     Sporangia  distinct 7.     Leocarpus 

C.  Extra-Iimital. 

a.  Sporangia  stipitate,  saucer-shaped,  following  No.  3   Trichamphora 

b.  Sporangia  elongate  allantoid,  etc.,  following  No.  1.  Erionema 

1.      Fuligo   (Haller)  Pers. 

1753.  Mucor  Linn.,  Sp.  PI.  II.,  No.  1656   (?). 

1768.  Fuligo  Haller,  Hist.  Helv.,  Nos.  1233-1235,  in  part. 

1801.  Fuligo  Haller,  Pers.  Syn.,  p.  159. 

1809.  /Et/ialium  Link,  Diss.,  I,  p.  42. 

1829.  JEthalium  Fries,  Sym.  Myc,  III.,  p.  92. 


24  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  undefined,  obscurely  woven  in  and  out  among  each 
other  forming  usually  a  cushion-shaped  asthalioid  mass.  The  outer 
layer  sterile,  often  calcareous,  forming  a  fragile  crust,  more  or  less 
defined.  The  middle  layer  sporiferous  with  calcigerous  capillitium. 
The  lowest  layer  a  membranous  hypothallus. 

The  identity  of  this  genus  seems  to  have  been  recognized  first  by 
Haller,  op.  cit.,  but  by  Persoon  more  closely  defined  and  illustrated. 
Link  simply  translated  the  name  into  Greek,  for  reasons  less  evident 
now,  and  in  this  was  followed  by  Fries.  Haller's  designation  is  now 
probably  securely  fixed. 

The  sporigerous  median  structure  of  the  fructifications,  under 
whatever  specific  name  or  names,  is  entirely  confused.  Sporangial 
walls,  if  ever  such  there  were,  are  hardly  as  such  recoverable,  seem- 
ingly indicated  only,  in  the  changes  to  which  the  aethalium  submits  as 
in  the  ripening  the  sporogenic  plasm  passes  on  to  spores. 

In  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  the  forms  of  this  genus 
present  withal  a  most  perplexing  problem.  Are  they  simply  phases 
of  a  single  species,  or  are  they  in  style  and  in  structure  sufficiently 
constant  in  their  admitted  variety,  to  claim  specific  rank  and  separate 
description  ? 

To  follow  the  example  of  Greville  and  recognize  in  all  the  liter- 
ature of  two  hundred  years  varied  descriptions  of  a  single  type,  — 
this  were  perhaps  the  easier  and  speedier  disposal  of  the  case.  Fries 
thought  so  to  treat  the  problem  but  was  unable  to  keep  faith  with  his 
own  decision;  for  no  sooner  he  states  the  genus  monotypic  than  he 
proceeds  forthwith  to  offer  four  varieties,  a.  b.  c.  d.,  viz.  those  by 
Persoon  and  others  duly  recognized  as  species. 

Recent  students  all,  however,  seem  to  find  convenience  in  specific 
division.  All  seem  disposed  to  honor  Dr.  Peck's  Fuligo  ochracea 
whether  or  not  by  the  name  he  gave;  and  of  other  varieties  some 
seem  impressed  by  the  constancy  of  one,  some  of  another  character- 
istic, thus  indicating  that  to  careful  observers  all  over  the  world 
there  are  differences  that  may  be  recognized,  that  have  been  recog- 
nized again  and  again.  If  there  are  two  species  there  are  certainly 
more.  Out  of  the  gatherings  of  many  years  one  may  set  in  order  not 
less  than  five  variations  in  the  fruiting  of  Fuligo,  five  distinct  types 


FULIGO  25 

of  fructification,  to  all  appearing  sufficiently  constant  for  specific 
recognition. 

It  will  be  said,  has  been  said,  was  said  by  Fries,  that  these  vari- 
ations are  insignificant,  "pendent  ex  seris  constitutione" ;  but  as  a 
matter  of  fact  the  several  types  now  in  question  may  be  found  on  the 
same  day,  so  that  evidently  something  other  than  the  atmospheric 
environment  must  determine. 

Again  it  is  said  that  the  differences  are  in  external  form  or  color 
only,  the  spores  in  all  cases  almost  if  not  quite  the  same.  This  is 
true;  but  specific  characters  are  surf  (ice  characters  in  fact:  a  species 
morphologically  is  merely  the  form  in  which  a  kind  or  genus  presents 
itself.  If  the  presentation  be  constant,  for  our  convenience  we  say  so, 
in  bestowing  a  name.  Whether  in  our  present  treatment  the  con- 
venience is  purely  personal,  students  may  decide. 

However  it  all  may  be,  there  are  in  this  part  of  the  world  many 
varying  presentations  of  Fuligo  capable  of  illustration  and  descrip- 
tion ;  the  same  forms,  perhaps,  which  have  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
more  acute  mycologists  in  the  older  history  of  the  subject.  Some  of 
these  forms  we  here  venture  to  describe,  with  such  annotation  as  may 
show  something  of  present  knowledge. 


Key  to   the  Species  of  Fuligo 

A.  ^thalium  1  cm.  or  less;  spores  spherical       .         .         \.  F.  muscorum 

B.  i^thalium  larger,  or  plasmodiocarpous,  even  sporangi-form,  crust  white, 

smooth,  even,  spores  elliptical 2.     F.  cinerea 

C.  ^thalia  larger,  2  cm.  or  more. 

1.  Cortex  yellovp,  etc.,  not  white;  spores  6-8  M        .  3.    F.  septica 

2.  Cortex  nearly  or  quite  wanting;  spores  10-12      4.  F.  intermedia 

3.  Cortex  white,  a  foamy  crust;  spores  15-25          5.  F.  megaspora 


1.    Fuligo  muscorum  Alb.  ^  Schiv. 

1894.  Fuliffo  muscorum,  Alb.  &  Schw.  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  67. 

1875.  Licea  ochracea  Peck,  N.  Y.  Rep.,  XVIII.,  p.  55. 

1879.  Fuligo  ochracea  Peck,  N.  Y.  Rep.,  XXXI.,  p.  56. 

1894.  Fuligo  muscorum,  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  67. 

1911.  Fuligo  muscorum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  87. 


26  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Plasmodium  orange-yellow,  i^thalium  globoid,  very  small,  1  cm. 
or  less,  the  cortex  very  thin,  greenish  yellow;  sporangial  walls  not 
evident;  capillitium  well-developed,  the  numerous  calcareous  nodes 
fusiform  or  often  branching,  and  connected  by  rather  short,  trans- 
parent internodes;  spores  coarsely  warted,  10-11  /x. 

This  form  seems  to  differ  from  F.  septica  chiefly  in  its  constant 
diminutive  habit  of  fruiting,  in  its  delicate  cortex,  and  in  its  spores, 
brighter,  larger,  and  more  coarsely  warted.  The  descriptions  and 
figure  by  Schweinitz  seem  referable  to  nothing  else.  First  reported 
by  Albertini  and  Schweinitz  from  Germany;  by  Schweinitz  from  the 
Carolinas;  then  by  Dr.  Peck  described  as  a  Licea  from  New  York. 
It  seems  less  commonly  collected  in  the  United  States. 

2.     FuLiGO  ciNEREA  (Schiv.)  Morg. 

Plate  X.,  Figs.  3,  3  a,  and  3  h,  and  Plate  XXIII. 

1831.  Enteridium  cinereum  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  No.  2365. 

1875.  Physarum   ellipsosporum  Rost.,  Mon.  App.,  p.   10. 

1884.  ^thaliopsis  siercoriformis  Zopf.,   Pilzthiere,   p.   150. 

1894.  Fuitgo   ellipsospora   Lister,   Mycetozoa,  p.   67. 

1896.  Fuligo  drier ea  (Schw.)   Morg.,  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  p.  105. 

1899.  Physarum   ellipsosporum   Rost.,   Macbr.   N.  A.  S.,  p.   27. 

1911.  Fuligo  cinerea  Morg.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  88. 

Plasmodium  milk-white,  watery.  Plasmodiocarp  long  and  widely 
effused,  anon  winding,  here  and  there  reticulate,  always  applanate; 
sometimes  in  form  an  aethalium,  the  peridial  cortex  membranous, 
firm,  thick,  and  white.  Capillitium  well-developed,  furnished  with 
lime.  Spores  thin-walled,  ellipsoidal,  violaceous,  plicate-rugose,  14- 
16  X  11-12/.. 

Not  common.  Found  occasionally  in  shaded  situations  on  piles  of 
rotting  straw  or  in  the  woods,  especially  on  detritus  of  the  bracken. 
The  spores  are  many  of  them  ellipsoidal ;  some  are  spherical ;  all  are 
decidedly  spinulose,  perhaps  might  appear  plicate-rugulose  when  dry 
or  shrunken.    Calcareous  nodules  very  large  and  irregular,  white. 

Schweinitz,  loc.  cit.,  described  this  form  as  Enteridium  cinereum. 
Rostafinski  referred  it  to  the  genus  Physarum,  but  was  obliged  to 
adopt  also  a  new  specific  name,  as  that  suggested  by  Schweinitz  was 


FULIGO  27 

already  in  use  in  the  genus  Physarum.  Zopf,  Die  Pilzthiere,  p.  149, 
founds  a  new  genus  on  what  seems  to  be  the  same  form  as  here  con- 
sidered. This  he  publishes  as  Mthaliopsis  stercoriformis  Z.  Massee 
regards  the  specimens  discovered  by  Zopf  as  belonging  to  the  genus 
Fuligo,  and  Lister  regards  Rostafinski's  type  as  Fuligo,  and  includes 
Zopf's  material  under  the  Rostafinskian  species. 

This  has  been  described  as  properly  an  American  form;  Lister 
cites  other  far  localities. 

3.     Fuligo  septica  {Linn.)  Gmel. 

1753.  Mucor  septicus  Linn.,  Sp.  PI.  II.,  No.  1656   (?). 

1763.  Mucor  ovatus  SchaeflF.,  Furtff.  Ba<v.,  p.   132,  Fig.   192. 

1791.  Fuligo  septica  (Linn.)    Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,  p.  1466. 

1826.  Fuliffo  varians  Sommf.,  Fl.  Lapl.  Sup.,  p.  231. 

1809.  jEthalium  fiavum  Link,  Diss.,  I.,  p.  42. 

1829.  jEthalium  septicum  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  93. 

1875.  Fuligo  varians  Sommf.,  Rost.,  Man.,  p.  134. 

1892.  Fuligo  varians  Sommf.,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la.  II.,  p.  160. 

1894.  Fuligo  septica    (Linn.)    Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  66. 

1899.  Fuligo  ovata  (Schaeff.)   Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  23. 

1911.  Fuligo  septica  Gmel.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  86. 

This  remarkable  and  universal  species  presents  as  stated  many 
forms  and  phases.    Of  these  five  have  been  selected  as  representative. 

1.  Form  a.     Plasmodium  yellow;   cortex  yellow,   or  orange-brown,   strongly 

calcareous   friable;    form   indefinite F.    ovata 

2.  Form    b.     Cortex   less   calcareous   porose,   yellowish    brown,    fructification 

definite,   pulvinate F.   rufa 

3.  Form    c.     Cortex   smooth,    persistent;    fructification    small,    less   than    two 

inches F.    laevis 

4.  Form  d.     Plasmodium  yellow;  cortex  none;  capillitium  yellow,  fructifica- 

tion thin,  sometimes  wide-spread F.  flava 

5.  Form  e.     Plasmodium  violaceous,  dark;  cortex  almost  none;   whole  mass 

reddish  or  violet F.   <violacea 

1.     Form  a.     Fuligo  ovata  (Schaeff.)   Pers. 

Plasmodium  bright  yellow;  aethalium  pale  brown,  or  yellowish- 
ochraceous,  of  variable  size  and  shape,  one  to  many  cm.  in  diameter, 
and  one  to  two  cm.  thick,  enclosed  by  a  distinct  calcareous  crust, 


28  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

which  varies  in  texture,  thickness,  and  color;  capillitium  well  devel- 
oped but  variable  in  color,  form,  and  extent;  spore-mass  dull  black, 
sooty;  spores  spherical,  purplish  brown,  nearly  smooth,  7-9  fi. 

Under  this  name  may  be  placed  our  most  common  form.  Rising 
with  an  abundant  yellowish  creamy  Plasmodium  from  masses  of 
decaying  vegetation,  lumber,  sawdust,  half  buried  logs,  it  creeps 
about  with  energy  unsurpassed,  coming  to  rest  only  in  some  posi- 
tion specially  exposed,  as  the  top  of  a  log  or  stump,  the  face  of 
a  stone  or  post,  or  even  the  high  clods  of  a  cultivated  field!  The 
fructification  is  large,  yellow,  or  at  most  pale  ochraceous,  the 
surface  when  mature  extremely  friable  like  dry  foam.  Bulliard 
figures  this  phase  well  on  Plate  424,  Fig.  2,  and  calls  it  Reticularia 
{Fuliffo)  hortensis,  from  its  affecting  the  soils  of  gardens.  More 
than  thirty  fructifications  have  appeared  at  one  time,  varying  in  size 
from  one  to  twenty  cm.  in  a  field  of  potatoes,  well  tilled,  and  less 
than  an  acre  in  extent!  Such  is  life's  perennial  exuberance  on  this 
time-worn  old  world  of  ours! 

Schaeflfer's  plate  CXI  I  represents  probably  the  same  thing.  So  also 
Bolton's  plate,  CXXXIV.  Sowerby's  Fig.  2  on  plate  199,  and 
figures  1  and  2  on  Greville's  plate  272  possibly  also  depict  this  form. 
Persoon  calls  this  F.  vaporaria  because  it  frequents  hotbeds  and  the 
like,  and  believes  this  to  represent  the  "untuosus  flavus"  of  Linnee, 
although  he  thinks  Schasflfer's  specimens  do  not.  The  calcareous  in- 
ternal structure  is  white. 

2.     Form  b,  F.  rufa  Pers. 

This  type  of  Fuligo  is  very  diflferent  from  the  preceding  in  form, 
habit,  and  color.  In  form  it  is  much  more  definite,  usually  thick, 
well-rounded  and  with  some  solidity.  The  interior  fructification  is 
gray  throughout,  much  less  expanded  than  in  a;  in  fact  does  not 
resemble  a  at  all !  The  cortex  is  porose  but  firm,  orange  at  first,  but 
becoming  tawny  with  age,  even  in  the  herbarium.  Bulliard  figures 
it  well,  plate  380,  Fig.  1,  and  Sowerby's  Fig.  1  on  plate  399  is  also 
good,  as  are  also  Greville's  figure  3  on  plate  272  showing  the  two 
colors  referred  to.  Not  uncommon  in  the  forest  from  June  till 
September,  but  far  more  rare  than  a:  always  well-marked,  with  no 
other  forms  associated. 


FULIGO  29 

3.  Form  c,  F.  laevis  Pers. 

This  is  a  still  more  specialized  type  of  the  group.  The  fructifica- 
tion is  usually  small,  smooth,  about  an  inch  in  diameter  and  some- 
times nearly  as  thick;  the  cortex  rusty  brown,  enduring,  persisting 
often  when  all  the  sporiferous  grayish  mass  has  been  distributed 
through  chinks,  or  from  below.  The  figure  2  on  plate  X.  shows  this 
form.  This  also  is  a  forest  species,  is  autumnal  rather,  but  may  be 
taken  sometimes  as  early  as  July.  The  cortex  is  not  at  all  porose  or 
spongy,  in  color  reddish  or  brown,  fragile  indeed,  but  not  to  the 
touch,  in  the  herbarium  enduring  for  years. 

4.  Form  d,  F.  flava  Pers. 

This  is  hardly  F.  flava  of  Persoon;  rather  of  Morgan  who  uses 
Persoon's  specific  designation.  Persoon  cites  Bolton's  fig.  CXXXIV, 
which  is  yellow  indeed  but  is  the  ordinary  presentation  of  F.  septica. 
The  form  here  considered  is  remarkable  for  its  delicacy;  extremely 
thin,  perhaps  one  layer  only  of  overlying  elongate  flexuous  sporan- 
gia (?),  covered  by  the  merest  shadow  of  a  cortex  in  the  form  of 
yellow  dust,  soon  lost:  the  capillitial  structure  yellow  throughout; 
occurring  upon  fallen  logs  in  moist  dark  woods;  not  common. 

5.  Form  e,  F.  violacea  Pers. 

Plasmodium  (Morgan  teste)  dark  red,  or  wine-colored;  the 
aethalium  thin,  two  or  three  inches  wide,  covered  by  a  cortex  at  first 
dull  red  and  very  soft,  at  length  almost  wholly  vanishing,  so  that  the 
entire  mass  takes  on  a  purple-violet  tint,  upper  surface  varied  with 
white;  capillitium  rather  open,  the  more  or  less  inflated,  large,  ir- 
regular nodes  joined  by  long,  slender,  delicate,  transparent  filaments; 
spores  dark  violet,  minutely  roughened,  spherical,  about  7.5  /x. 

Ohio,  Tennessee.  Probably  everywhere,  but  not  distinguished 
from  1. 

Professor  Morgan,  who  gave  the  genus  under  consideration  much 
attention,  regarded  F.  violacea  as  a  form  particularly  well-defined. 
What  the  value  of  plasmodic  color  as  a  specific  character  in  general, 
and  how  far  such  character  is  in  the  present  case  definitive,  because 
constant,  are  points  yet  to  be  determined. 


30  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

4.  FULIGO   INTERMEDIA  Macbr.    n.  S. 

i^thalium  two  to  three  cm.  in  greatest  diameter,  .5-1  cm.  thick, 
covered  with  a  thin,  fragile,  but  not  calcareous,  greyish  or  brownish 
cortex;  the  spore-mass  grey  or  violaceous-grey,  firm,  not  at  all  sooty, 
the  sporangia  intricate,  their  walls  more  or  less  calcareous;  capil- 
litium  not  conspicuous;  spores  globose,  pale  purple,  slightly  rough- 
ened, 10-12  fi. 

This  form  has  been  repeatedly  sent  me  from  Denver,  Colorado,  by 
Professor  Bethel.  I  have  refrained  from  publishing  it,  still  anxious 
to  believe  that  all  fuligos  on  the  face  of  the  earth  were  of  one  species. 
In  the  species  next  following  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  spore- 
variations  are  too  wide  to  remain  comfortably  under  shelter  of  a 
single  specific  name.  The  present  species  is  not  F.  septica,  neither  is 
it  F.  rnegaspora;  it  is  F.  intermedia. 

Colorado ;  Iowa. 

5.  FULIGO  MEGASPORA  Sturg. 

1913.     Fuligo   rnegaspora  Sturg.,   Col.   Coll.  Pub.,  p.  443. 

i?:^thalium  pulvinate  one  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  covered  with 
a  thick  spongy  incrustation  of  lime,  white  or  yellowish  toward  the 
base:  sporangia  convolute,  the  walls  membranous,  brittle,  charged 
throughout  with  round  white  granules  of  lime,  1.5-2  ju,  in  diameter: 
columella  none:  capillitium  of  delicate,  colorless,  anastomosing 
tubules,  bearing  toward  the  center  large,  white,  branching  calcareous 
nodules;  spores  spherical,  or  somewhat  oval,  dark  purple-brown, 
rough-tuberculate,  15-20  ju. 

This  species  differs  as  pointed  out  by  Professor  Sturgis,  chiefly  in 
the  character  of  the  spores,  their  unusual  size  and  roughness.^ 

Colorado ;  Africa !  —  Robert  Fries. 

1  In  discussing  these  species  the  reader  may  be  referred  to  Professor 
Harper's  study  of  cytology,  Bot.  Gazelle,  vol.  XXX.,  p.  217.  It  is  probable 
that  in  all  these  sthalioid  forms  the  effect  of  disturbance,  transfer  to  labora- 
tory, is  likely  to  be  quite  pronounced.  Giant  spores  are  often  seen,  doubtless 
due  to  arrested  cleavage  in  the  procedure  described  by  Dr.  Harper:  a  giant 
spore  is  penultimate  or  antepenultimate  in  series;  should,  on  this  theory,  occa- 
sionally, at  least,  show  more  than  one  nucleus. 


BADHAMM  31 

EXTRA-LIMITAL 

Erionema  Penzig 

1898.     Erionema  Penzig,  Die  Myx.  d.  Fl.  v.  Beutenzorg,  p.  36. 

Sporangia  plasmodiocarpous  but  distinct,  cylindrical ;  capillitium 
intricate,  elastic;  nodules  few. 

1.     Erionema  aureum  Penzig 

1898.     Erionema  aureum  Penz.  /.  c. 

Sporangia  elongate,  clustered,  pendulous,  yellow  or  grayish  yellow, 
generally  stipitate  on  long  flaccid  stalks,  or  sessile  and  interlacing: 
stipes  yellow,  blending  with  the  hypothallus ;  capillitium  intricate, 
expanding  at  maturity  after  the  manner  of  Arcyria  to  several  times 
the  sporangial  length,  the  nodules  small,  yellow ;  spores  nearly  smooth, 
violaceous-brown,  5-6  /u.. 

This  unique  form  is  near  the  fuligos  which  it  resembles,  especially 
when  sessile,  in  its  intricate  sporangia.  The  spores  also  are  those  of 
the  common  Fuligo  septica.  The  habit  is  however  entirely  different. 
Mr.  Fetch  describes  clusters  in  Ceylon,  hanging  free,  four  to  six  cm. 
in  length! 

2.     Badhamia   {Berkeley)   Rost. 

1852.     Badhamia  Berkeley,   Trans.  Linn.  Soc,  XXL,  p.  153. 
1875.     Badhamia  Rostafinski,  Monograph,  p.  139. 

Sporangia  simple;  peridial  wall  simple,  thin,  breaking  irregularly; 
capillitium  formed  of  abundant,  richly  anastomosing  tubules,  filled 
throughout  their  entire  length  with  calcareous  granules;  the  nodes 
often  feebly  represented;  stipe  poorly  developed  or  wanting  entirely; 
columella,  except  in  forms  sometimes  assigned  to  the  sub-genus 
Scyphiujn,  poorly  developed  or  none;  spores  frequently  adherent  in 
clusters. 

This  genus  is  closely  related  to  Physarum,  but  differs  in  having  the 

The  whole  genus  calls  for  careful  and  protracted  study;  and  the  present 
so-called  species  are  like  something  new  on  the  world;  as  full  of  vagaries  as 
though  but  just  entered  upon  their  phylogenetic  race. 


32  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

capillitium  calcareous  throughout.  Forms  occur  and  are  included 
here,  in  which  the  capillitium,  especially  in  some  parts,  is  physarum- 
like,  physaroid.  Nevertheless,  the  distinctions  hold  good  as  a  rule, 
and  are  at  once  diagnostic. 

In  capillitial  differentiation  the  badhamias  are  definite  and  beauti- 
ful. The  net  in  a  typical  species,  as  B.  papaveracea,  is  throughout 
uniformly  evenly  tubular,  the  calcareous  deposits  delicate  in  the  ex- 
treme, presenting,  as  the  spores  disappear,  an  elegant  trabecular 
structure  as  if  to  support  the  persisting  peridium  if  not  the  original 
content.  In  other  forms  the  capillitium  is  physaroid,  with  swollen 
nodes,  but  heavily  calcareous  but  not  quite  throughout.  Badhamia, 
Physarum,  Tilmadoche,  Craterium  present  a  consistent  group,  of 
which  Physarum  is  the  generalized  expression. 

Berkeley's  idea  of  the  genus  was  expressed  as  follows:  "Peridium 
naked  or  furfuraceous.  Spores  in  groups,  enclosed,  at  first,  in  a  hya- 
line sack."  Rostafinski,  while  accepting  Berkeley's  generic  name,  re- 
defined it,  emphasized  the  calcareous  capillitium,  and  made  reference 
to  the  spore-adherence  only  to  assert  that  Berkeley's  description  was, 
in  this  particular,  based  on  mistaken  observation.  In  some  species, 
the  spores  do,  in  fact,  show  a  tendency  to  cling  together,  a  character- 
istic which  Badham  was  perhaps  first  to  notice ;  but  that  this  is  occa- 
sioned by  their  being  surrounded  by  a  sac  or  common  pellicle  has  not 
been  proved  nor  even  suggested,  by  any  subsequent  investigator. 
Berkeley's  genus  was  therefore  founded  upon  a  slight  mistake;  but 
w^e  may  conserve  his  rights  in  the  premises  if  we  write  Badhamia 
(Berk.)  Rost.,  and  so  keep  history  straight. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Badhamia 

A.  Spores  ovoid  or  ellipsoidal 

a.  Spores    free 1.      B.    ovispora 

b.  Spores   adherent 2.     B.  versicolor 

B.  Spores  spherical 

a.  Sporangia  yellow 

i.    Spores  free 3.     B.  decipiens 

ii.    Spores  adhering 4.     5.  nitens 

b.  Sporangia    grey,    spores    free 

i.    Always  sessile 5.     S.  panicea 


BADHAMIA  33 

ii.    Stalked,  at  least  some  of  them 
*    Stipe  when  present  black 

t    Globose,  small  .5  mm.      .         .         6.     B.  affinis 
tt    Larger,  spores  strongly  spinulose 

7.     B.  macrocarpa 
ttt    Discoidal  or  annulate         .         8.     B.  orbiculata 
**    Stipes   membranous  yellowish 

t    Stipes  long,  sporangia  iridescent      9.     B.  magna 
tt    Stipes  short  or  none;  iridescent     10.   B.  foliicola 

c.  Sporangia   grey,    spores    adherent 

i.    Stipe  when  present  yellowish  < 

t    Wall   iridescent,  spores  uniformly  marked 

11.  B.  utricularis 
tt    More  calcareous,  spores  strongly  marked  on  one  side 

12.  B.  capsulifera 
ttt    Colorado,  spores  anon  barred         .         13.     B.  populina 

ii.    Stipe  when  present  black      ...         14.    B.  papaveracea 

d.  Sporangia  brown,   lilacine 

i.    Sessile 15.     B.   lilacina 

ii.    Stipitate,  columellate        .        .        .        .         16.     B.  rubiginosa 

1.  Badhamia  ovispora  Racib. 

1884.     Badhamia  ovispora  Racib.,  Myx.  Ag.  Cracov.,  XII.,  p.  72. 

Sporangia  sessile  depressed-globose  or  plasmodiocarpous,  white  or 
ochraceous,  covered  by  dense  calcareous  scales;  capillitium  white,  the 
lime-granules  sometimes  aggregate  at  the  center  to  form  a  pseudo- 
columella;  spores  not  adhering,  brownish-purple  ellipsoidal,  8  X  10- 
10  X  15  II. 

Reported  from  Bohemia,  England,  Pennsylvania. 

2.  Badhamia  versicolor  Lister. 

1901.     Badhamia  versicolor  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  XXXIX.,  p.  81. 
1911.    Badhamia  versicolor  List.,  Mycetozoa  2nd  ed.,  p.  35. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  clustered,  minute,  .3-5  mm.,  grey  or  flesh- 
colored,  sessile,  the  calcareous  deposits  slight;  capillitium  white  or 
apricot-colored;  spores  ovoid,  8  X  10-9  X  12  /*,  clustered,  purplish, 
and  warted  at  the  broader  end,  elsewhere  colorless  and  smooth. 

This  little  species,  as  it  comes  to  us,  is  grey,  very  uneven  in  size, 
.2-.5  mm.  and  generally  irregular  in  form  and  habit,  perhaps  scarce 


34  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

mature.  The  capillitium  is  white,  physaroid.  The  spores  furnish 
the  distinguishing  character.  Sometimes  globose,  about  9-10.  They 
are  most  of  them  definitely  and  permanently  affected  in  shape  by  the 
fact  of  cluster-association,  narrower  in  the  direction  of  the  cluster 
center.  The  indications  are  that  these  may  become  globose  with 
maturity. 

Colorado,  —  Bethel;  Scotland. 

3.  Badhamia  DECIPIENS   (Curtis)   Berk. 

1848.  Physarum  decipiens  Curtis,  Am.  Jour.  Set.,  VI.,  p.  352. 

1873.  Badhamia  decipiens  Berk.,   Grev.,  II.,  p.  66. 

1873.  Physarum  chrysotrichum  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.  II.,  p.  66. 

1876.  Badhamia  chrysotricha  (Berk.  &  C.)   Rost.,  App.,  p.  4. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  depressed-spherical  or  ovate,  sessile,  occa- 
sionally plasmodiocarpous,  dull  yellow,  roughened  by  the  rather 
large  numerous  calcareous  scales;  columella  none;  capillitium  dull 
orange,  strongly  calcareous,  only  slightly  widened  at  the  nodes; 
spore-mass  black;  spores  pale  violet,  minutely  spinulose,  free,  10- 
12  /x. 

Among  badhamias  this  and  the  next  species  are  at  once  distin- 
guished by  the  color.  If  the  brief  description  {Grev.,  II.,  p.  66)  can 
be  regarded  as  defining  anything,  this  is  the  same  as  P.  chrysotrichum 
Berk.  &  C.  It  resembles  somewhat  P.  serpula  Morg.,  but  differs  ex- 
ternally in  color  and  in  the  surface  scales,  which  are  not  perceptible 
in  the  Physarum.  The  present  species  also  resembles  Cienkoiuskia 
reticulata  (Schw.)  Rost.,  but  has  a  different  capillitium.  See  under 
that  species. 

Chiefly  eastern  and  American.  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
South  Carolina;  reported  recently  also  from  Sweden  and  Germany. 

4.  Badhamia  nitens  Berk. 

1852.     Badhamia  nitens  Berk.,  Trans.  Linn.  Soc,  XXI.,  p.  153. 
1863.     Badhamia  inaurata  Currey,   Trans.  Linn.  Soc,  XXIV.,  p.  156. 
1873.     Badhamia  nitens  Berk.,  Rost,  Mon.  App.,  p.  3. 

Sporangia   gregarious   or   closely   crowded,   globose   or   depressed- 


BADHAMIA  35 

globose,  .5-1  mm.  in  diameter,  yellow  or  greenish  yellow,  rugulose, 
sessile ;  capillitium  yellow,  forming  an  open  net  with  occasional  thick- 
enings at  the  nodes ;  spores  clustered,  delicately  roughened,  violaceous- 
brown,  10-12  II. 

This  much  resembles  the  preceding  species  except  in  the  clustered 
spores,  and  more  commonly  aggregate  habit.  The  spores,  as  usual 
when  clustered,  are  conspicuously  echinulate  on  the  outer  side.  This 
did  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  author  of  the  species,  op.  cit. 

Colorado,  Oregon.  Reported  from  West  Indies,  Ceylon,  various 
parts  of  Europe. 

5.  Badhamia  panicea  (Fries)  Rost. 

1829.     Pliysarum  paniceum  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  141. 

1873.     Badhamia  panicea   (Fr.)   Rost.,  Fuckel,  Sym.  Myc.  Nachtr.,  2,  p.  71. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  aggregated  in  closely  compacted  clusters, 
globose  or  hemispherical,  sessile,  the  peridium  thin,  transparent, 
thickly  dotted  with  white  calcareous  scales;  stipe  none;  columella 
none,  although  a  pseudo-columella  sometimes  appears,  formed  by  a 
more  dense  development  of  the  capillitium  near  the  centre  of  the 
sporangium  below ;  capillitium  abundantly  developed,  quite  uniformly 
thickened,  but  showing  an  occasional  delicate  connecting  thread,  the 
nodes  also  somewhat  flattened  and  enlarged ;  spore-mass  black ;  spores 
by  transmitted  light,  bright  violaceous-brown,  minutely  roughened, 
10-13  /x.     Plasmodium  is  said  to  be  white. 

In  America  this  seems  to  be  a  purely  western  species.  Specimens 
are  before  us  from  western  Iowa  and  from  Colorado,  South  Dakota, 
Nevada,  and  Southern  California.  It  is  very  well  marked,  though 
liable  perhaps  to  be  mistaken  at  first  sight  for  sessile  phases  of  P. 
notabile  or  P.  cinereum.  The  capillitium  is,  however,  at  once  deter- 
minative.    Colorado;  Bethel.     Europe  generally. 

6.  Badhamia  affinis  Rost. 

1875.     Badhamia  affinis  Rost,  Mon.,  p.   143. 

Sporangia  aggregated,  cespitose  and  sessile,  or  sometimes  stipitate, 
depressed  above,  flat  or  umbilicate  below,  the  wall  grayish  white, 


36  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

rugulose,  and  more  or  less  calcareous-scaly ;  the  stipe  when  present 
erect  or  sometimes  nodding,  black  or  brownish  black;  hypothallus 
scanty;  columella  none;  capillitium  not  abundant,  white,  the  nodes 
somewhat  expanded ;  spores  globose,  minutely  roughened,  violet- 
brown,  large,  16-17  yu. 

Chiefly  on  moss,  the  pale  ashen  sporangia  generally  very  small, 
mounted  on  the  tips  of  the  leaves,  sometimes  sessile,  sometimes  with  a 
distinct  black  stipe  in  which  case  the  peridium  is  distinctly  umbilicate. 
Specimens  from  Kansas  referred  here  have  the  stipe  pale,  rugose, 
long,  about  twice  the  sporangium;  habitat  bark. 

Rare.  New  York,  Ohio,  Kansas;  more  recently  reported  from 
Scotland  and  Japan. 

There  is  nothing  new  to  be  added  here ;  nor  appears  any  other 
place  to  which  such  material  as  we  have  may  be  referred.  New 
collections  no  doubt  will  one  day  appear,  when  the  identity  may,  let 
us  hope,  be  made  secure. 

Meantime  we  have  a  form  closely  related  which  may  be  entered  as 

Badhamia  iowensis  Macbr.  n.  s. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  loosely  scattered,  depressed  globose,  .4-.6 
mm.  in  diameter,  stipitate,  grey,  flecked  by  rather  prominent  but 
small  rounded  calcareous  scales:  the  stipe  short,  half  the  diameter  of 
the  sporangium,  black  or  very  dark  brown,  without  hypothallus  but 
widening  above  into  a  shallow  expanded  base  for  the  sporangia; 
columella  none:  capillitium  dull  yellow,  sometimes  white,  strongly 
calcareous,  physaroid,  heavy;  spores  free,  dark  brown  in  mass,  pale 
violet  by  transmitted  light,  minutely  verruculose,  the  tiny  warts  in 
some  areas  more  densely  placed,  producing  evident  shadowy  spots, 
10-11  /x. 

This  interesting  little  species  occurs  on  the  lower  surface  of  fallen 
logs,  blocks,  etc.,  in  colonies  of  considerable  extent,  hundreds  of 
sporangia  in  a  place.  The  capillitium  is  comparable  to  that  of  B. 
decipiens  or  B.  panicea;  it  is  physaroid  to  the  extent  that  an  occasional 
filament  may  be  found  non-calcic,  and  not  typically  badhamioid  as  in 
B.  papaveracea,  B.  macrocarpa.  The  sporangial  base  persists,  dark 
brown,  bearing  traces  of  the  clumsy  capillitium,  but  no  columella 


BADHAMIA  37 

real  or  simulated.     Blackhawk  Co.,  Iowa;  communicavit  Dr.  Jessie 
Parish.     See  Plate  XX.,  1,  \  a,  \  b. 

Reddish  or  roseate  forms  sometimes  appear  in  colonies  otherwise 
as  described.  It  differs  from  B.  affinis  in  the  size  and  character  of 
the  spores,  in  color  and  character  of  the  capillitium,  habit  and  surface 
markings. 

7.     Badhamia  macrocarpa  {Ces.)  Rost. 

1855.    P/iysarum  macrocarpon  Cesati,  Flora,  XXXVIII.,   p.  271. 
1875.     Badhamia  macrocarpa   (Ces.)   Rost,  Mon.,  p.   143. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  closely  aggregate,  crowded  globose  or  sub- 
globose,  generally  sessile,  rugulose,  white ;  the  peridium  membranous, 
white  above,  below  yellowish  or  brown;  capillitium  not  abundant, 
thoroughly  calcareous,  the  nodes  broad,  conspicuous,  the  connecting 
tubules  rigid ;  columella  none ;  hypothallus  scant  or  none ;  spore-mass 
black,  spores  non-adherent,  by  transmitted  light  bright  clear  brown, 
thickly  spinulose  all  over,  large  spherical,  12-15  /t. 

Closely  resembles  externally  B.  paniceaj  but  is  easily  distinguished 
by  larger  and  remarkably  spinulose  spores,  in  this  particular  unrivalled 
in  the  entire  genus.  European  authors  describe  both  sessile  and 
stipitate  forms.  American  specimens  generally  are  sessile  and  for  the 
most  part  closely  crowded,  almost  heaped ;  but  —  Prof.  Bethel  finds 
this  in  winter  everywhere  on  fallen  rotting  stems  of  Opuntia  and  on 
the  bases  of  dead  Yucca  leaves,  still  attached.  Associated  with  the 
typical  phase  and  often  occurring  alone  on  the  Yucca  leaves  is  a  dis- 
coidal  form  which  when  first  sent  in  (1908)  was  called  var.  gracilis. 
Presented  alone  to  one  ignorant  of  its  history  and  associations,  it 
would  surely  pass  for  a  distinct  species.  This  stalked  phase  is  very 
delicate;  the  stipe  pale  brown,  or  yellow.  See  Plate  II.,  Fig.  9.  See 
also  Sturgis  Col.  Coll.  Pub.  XII.,  408. 


Badhamia  orbiculata  R 


ex. 


Plate  XIV.,  Fig.  4. 

1893.  Badhamia  orbiculata  Rex.  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  372. 

1894.  Badhamia  macrocarpa  Rost.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  34   (in  part). 
1911.     Badhamia  orbiculata  Rex.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  37. 


38  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  stlpitate  or  sessile,  orbicular  discoidal,  irregularly 
elongated  or  plasmodiocarpous,  averaging  about  1  mm.  in  width,  gen- 
erally stipitate,  and  when  stipitate,  flattened  or  depressed  above,  plane 
or  slightly  umbilicate  below;  the  peridium  simple,  more  or  less  trans- 
lucent from  the  varying  number  of  innate  granules,  sometimes  cov- 
ered with  circular  flat  masses  of  lime,  gray  except  the  point  of  attach- 
ment to  the  stipe  which  is  brown;  stipe  short,  black,  rough,  plicate; 
capillitium  dense  at  the  centre,  radiant  at  the  periphery  where  it 
meets  the  sporangial  wall,  white;  spores  violaceous  black,  minutely 
warted,  12-15  fx. 

This  is  a  beautiful  species,  easily  known  by  its  discoidal  or  almost 
annulate  sporangia  mounted  upon  short  dark  black  stipes.  The 
stipe  in  western  collections  is  sometimes  very  short,  but  generally  suf- 
fices to  raise  the  sporangium,  a  little  at  least,  above  the  substratum. 
Sessile  and  plasmodiocarpous  forms  do  occur  with  the  typical  stipitate 
phase,  but  may  be  regarded  here  as  elsewhere  as  indicative  of  incom- 
plete development.     Plasmodium  cream-colored,  or  pale  yellow. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  Colorado. 

9.     Badhamia  magna  Peck. 

Plate  XIV.,  Fig.  1. 

1871.  Dictydium  magnum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  State  Mus.,  XXIV.,  p.  84. 

1879.  Badhamia  magna  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  State  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  56. 

1894.  Badhamia  macrocarpa  Rost.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.   34,   in   part. 

1892.  Baliamia  <varia  Mass.  Mon.  Myxog.,  p.  319,  in  part. 

1894.  Badhamia  magna  Peck,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  33. 

1899.  Badhamia  capsulifera   (Berk.)   Macbr.,  A''.  A.  S.,  p.  68. 

1911.  Badhamia  magna  Peck,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  34. 

Sporangia  globose  or  ellipsoid,  .7-1  mm.,  pale  iridescent,  stipitate; 
peridium  thin  with  slight  calcareous  deposits,  rugulose,  opening  ir- 
regularly, white ;  stipe  long  flaccid,  straw-colored ;  capillitium  an 
elegant  uniform  net,  its  threads  stiffened  by  slight  deposits  of  lime, 
the  nodes  little  thickened,  badhamioid ;  spores  free,  dusky  with  a 
shade  of  violet,  minutely  spinulose,  about  10  fi. 

This  beautiful  species  closely  resembles  some  forms  of  B.  utricu- 
laris  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  its  unclustered  smooth  spores. 


BADHAMIA  39 

B.  foliicola  as  recognized  here  is  hardly  more  than  a  smaller,  short- 
stemmed  form  of  this ;  see  species  next  following. 

Not  rare  in  the  eastern  United  States  and  Canada;  Iowa.  Seems 
to  take  the  place  of  B.  capsulifera  of  Europe. 

10.  Badhamia  foliicola  Lister. 

1897.     Badhamia  foliicola  List.,  Jour.  BoU,  XXXV.,  p.  209. 
1911.    Badhamia  foliicola  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  34. 

"Plasmodium  orange."  Sporangia  smaller,  about  .5-6  mm., 
globose  or  ellipsoidal,  iridescent-gray,  stipitate  or  sessile,  the  perid- 
ium  thin,  rugulose,  sparingly  calcareous,  when  empty  white;  the 
stipe  when  present  short  but  yellowish,  of  the  flaccid  sort ;  capillitium 
badhamioid ;  spores  free,  delicately  spinulescent,  dusky-violaceous, 
about  12-13  IX. 

This  has  been  so  far  collected  but  once,  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Okoboji.  It  was  developed,  no  doubt,  on  the  natural  debris  of  a 
bur-oak  prairie  border,  and  went  to  fruit  on  the  leaves,  stems,  and 
fruiting  spikes  of  a  species  of  Setaria.  It  may  prove  to  be  different 
from  the  B.  foliicola  of  Europe;  future  collections  and  study  must 
reveal  that.     Meantime  it  seems  wise  to  refer  it  here. 

The  color  of  the  Plasmodium  is  quoted  from  Miss  Lister;  a  fact 
of  some  importance  only  when  constant  and  confirmed  by  other 
criteria. 

Iowa;  Toronto, — Miss  Currie. 

11.  Badhamia  utricularis    {Bull.)   Berk. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  utricularis  Bull.,  Champ.,  p.  128,  t.  417,  Fig.  1. 

1826.  Physarum  utriculare  Chev.,  Fl.  Paris,  I.,  p.  337. 

1829.  Physarum   utriculare   Fries,   Syst.   Myc,   IIL,   p.   139. 

1852.  Badhamia  utricularis   (Bull.)   Berk.,   Tr.  Linn.  Soc,  XXL,  p.  153. 

Sporangia  clustered,  spherical  or  ovoid,  large,  sessile  or  mounted  on 
long,  thin,  strand-like  stalks,  blue-gray,  violet-iridescent  or  cinereous, 
smooth  or  more  often  rugulose;  the  stipes  when  present  poorly  differ- 
entiated, as  if  thread-like  filaments  and  strips  of  the  Plasmodium,  often 
branched  and  always  reclining  or  even  prostrate;  hypothallus  none; 


40  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

capillitium  a  large-meshed  open  network  of  rather  slender  tubules,  the 
nodes  unequally  developed,  white  with  the  enclosed  lime;  spores  not 
strictly  adherent  though  not  without  some  tendency  to  stick  together, 
delicately  warted,  bright  violet-brown,  10-12  /i. 

This  species  resembles  B.  capsulifera,  but  is  distinguished  by  a  more 
strongly  rugulose  less  calcareous  peridium  and  a  more  profuse  devel- 
opment of  filamentous  stipes,  but  especially  by  the  character  of  the 
spores.  The  spores  of  the  present  species  while  inclined,  when  mount- 
ed in  a  liquid,  to  stay  together,  nevertheless  do  not  coalesce  in  heaps  as 
in  the  related  species,  nor  do  they  show  any  differentiation  in  the 
episporic  markings,  these  being  uniform  over  the  entire  spore. 

This  is  one  of  the  finest  and  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  species  of 
this  fine  genus.  It  is  a  forest  species,  generally  to  be  found  on  trunks 
of  fallen  Populus  or  Tilia  where  the  fine  soft  gray  colonies  often 
spread  for  several  inches  along  the  ridges  and  in  crevices  of  the  bark. 

Colorado   {Bethel)  ;  Mississippi  valley  and  east. 

12.     Badhamia  capsulifera  (Bull.)  Berkeley. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  capsulifer  Bull.,  Champ.,  p.  139,  t.  470,  Fig.  2. 

1801.  Physarmn  hyalinum  Pers.,  Syn.  Metli.  Fung.,  p.  170. 

1852.  Badhamia  capsulifera  Berk.,    Tr.   Lin.   Soc,  XXL,   p.    153. 

1852.  Badhamia  hyalina  Berk.,   Tr.  Lin.  Soc,  XXL,  p.  153. 

1875.  Badhamia  hyalina   (Pers.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.   139. 

1875.  Badhamia  capsulifera   (Bull.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.   141. 

1894.  Badhamia  hyalina  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  30. 

1911.  Badhamia  capsulifera  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  31. 

Sporangia  clustered  or  gregarious,  sessile  or  sometimes  stipitate, 
globose  or  obovoid,  gray  or  greenish  white,  snow-white  when  empty; 
the  peridium  thin,  translucent;  the  stipe,  when  present,  as  in  B. 
utricularis,  although  generally  shorter  and  better  developed,  yellow 
or  straw  colored;  capillitium  a  very  loose,  open  network  of  white, 
lime-filled  tubules,  not  much  expanded  at  the  nodes;  columella  none; 
spore-mass  purplish-brown ;  spores  adhering  in  clusters  of  five  or  six 
to  twenty  or  more,  globose,  but  affected  somewhat  by  mutual  pres- 
sure, rough  throughout,  the  exposed  surface  in  the  cluster,  more  dis- 
tinctly warted,  10-12  p.. 


BADHAMM  41 

This  is  Badhamia  hyalina  (Pers.)  Berk.,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  139;  but 
Rostafinski  himself  admits  that  the  two  species,  here  united,  as  he  de- 
fined them,  are  very  much  alike,  having  "the  same  spores  and  capil- 
litium",  differing  in  the  form  of  the  sporangium,  an  inconstant  fea- 
ture. Bulliard's  name  has  precedence;  his  descriptions  of  this  and 
the  preceding  species  are  remarkable. 

The  peculiarly  adherent  spores  distinguish  the  species  from  B. 
utricularis;  and  the  sporangia  sessile  or  with  short  but  strand-like 
stipes,  distinguish  it  from  B.  papaveracea. 

The  description  above  is  for  the  typical  European  form.  Lister 
expresses  doubt  whether  this  occurs  in  the  United  States.  The  form 
from  Iowa  which  is  the  basis  for  the  inclusion  of  the  species  in  N.  A. 
S.  is,  we  believe,  nothing  else  than  B.  capsulifera  (Bull.)  Berk.  The 
form  approaches  B.  populina  as  this  is  presented  in  Colorado.  The 
Iowa  specimens  are  white,  aggregate,  superimposed,  etc.,  but  have  the 
capillitium  and  spores  exactly  as  described  for  the  type.  Accordingly 
B.  populina  as  this  occurs  in  Colorado  has  been  for  years  referred  to 
the  Berkeley  species.  The  thicker  more  strongly  calcareous  peridia 
constitute,  as  would  appear,  the  principal  difference  in  the  forms  from 
Colorado.     See  next  species. 

13.     Badhamia  populina  List. 

1904.    Badhamia  populina  List.  Jour.  Bot.,  XLIL,  p.  129. 
1911.     Badhamia  populina  List.  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  32. 

Plasmodium  white;  sporangia  sessile,  crowded,  heaped,  large,  1.5 
mm.,  rarely  stipitate,  globose  or  ovoid,  white;  stipe  when  present 
brown;  capillitial  strands  broad,  calcareous;  spores  clustered,  16-20 
in  a  cluster,  purple-brown,  roughened  and  sometimes  marked  by  ob- 
scure ridges  and  bands,  10-12  yw. 

Generally  distinguishable  by  its  unusually  large  calcareous,  white 
sporangia.  The  peridia  are  strongly  calcareous,  shell-like  in  texture. 
In  some  case  the  color  is  tinted  with  rose. 

This  species  is  very  near  B.  capsulifera  as  recognized  in  the  United 
States.  When  white  the  Colorado  material  corresponds  almost  exactly 
with  the  forms  collected  in  Iowa,  and  regarded  as  representing  the 


42  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

species  just  named.     The  Colorado  gatherings  are  more  strongly  cal- 
careous and   the  spores    sometimes    present  the    variations    named. 
"The  Colorado  phase  of  the  American  form." 
Colorado, —  Bethel.     Europe  ? 

14.     Badhamia  papaveracea  Berk.  ^  Rav. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  6,  6  a,  and  6  b. 

1873.  Badhamia  papaveracea  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  66. 

1894.  Badhamia  hyalina  var.  papaveracea  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  30. 

1899.  Badhamia  papaveracea  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  69, 

1911.  Badhamia   papaveracea   Berk.    &   Rav.,    List.,    Mycetozoa,   2nd   ed., 
p.  32. 


Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  large,  stipitate,  iridescent-gray;  the 
peridium  thin,  translucent,  and  containing  but  little  calcareous  de- 
posits, smooth  or  slightly  rugulose;  stipe  very  short,  but  generally 
distinct,  black  or  very  dark  brown;  hypothallus  none;  capillitium 
a  network  of  large  meshes  with  expanded  nodes,  prominent,  white, 
persistent  after  the  spores  have  been  blown  away;  spore-mass  deep 
brown ;  spores  adherent  as  in  B.  capsulifera,  marked  in  much  the 
same  way,  and  about  the  same  size,  10-12.5  fx. 

Distinguished  by  its  short,  dark,  stipe  and  adherent  spores. 

Not  common.  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Maryland, 
South  Carolina,  Wisconsin,  Iowa. 

15.     Badhamia  lilacina   (Fries)  Rost. 

1829.  Physarum  lilacinum  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  141. 

1875.  Badhamia  lilacina   (Fries)   Rost.,  Man.,  p.  145. 

1892.  Craterium   lilacinum    Mass.,   Mon.,   p.   271. 

1894.  Badhamia  lilacina  (Fr.)  Rost.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  34. 

1911.  Badhamia  lilacina   (Fr.)   Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  38. 

Sporangia  globose,  sub-globose,  or  obconical,  sessile,  gregarious  or 
more  or  less  clustered,  supported  by  a  thin,  continuous,  transparent 
hypothallus;  the  peridium  smooth  pale,  lilac-brown  without,  white 
within ;  stipe  none,  although  some  sporangia  have  a  narrowed  base ; 
columella  none,  the  pseudo-columella  formed  by  a  more  densely  ag- 
gregated capillitium  near  the  base;  capillitium  dense,  white,  strongly 


BADHAMIA  43 

nodulose;  spore-mass  black;  spores  dark,  violaceous-brown  by  trans- 
mitted light,  distinctly  warted,  or  reticulate,  the  reticulations  re- 
sembling somewhat  those  of  some  of  the  trichias,  as  T.  affinis,  10-15  /t. 

Easily  recognizable,  generally  at  sight,  by  its  peculiar  color.  White 
forms,  however,  occur;  often  lilac-tinted  and  white  from  the  same 
Plasmodium.  A  perfectly  white  colony  seems  to  be  rare.  Both  colors 
are  shown  in  specimens  distributed.    A^.  A.  F.,  2494. 

Common  eastward,  Ontario,  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
etc.     Not  reported  west  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

Whatever  the  color,  the  spores  are  in  every  case  positively  diag- 
nostic. The  episporic  markings  are  unlike  those  of  any  other  species 
in  the  present  order.  Dr.  Rex  describes  some  New  York  forms  as 
provided  with  a  short  but  distinct  stipe.  Such  forms  resemble  exter- 
nally Scyphium  rubiginosum  (Chev.)  Rost.  The  hypothallus  is  also 
unique.     V.  next  species.  , 

16.     Badhamia  rubiginosa  {Chev.)  Rost. 

Plate  X.,  Figs.  1,  la,  lb,  I  c. 

1826.  Physarum  rubiginosum  Chev.,  Fl.  Par.,  p.   338. 

1872.  Craterium  obovatum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXVL,  p.  75. 

1875.  Scyphium  rubiginosum    (Chev.)    Rost.,  Man.,  p.   148. 

1876.  Badhamia  rubiginosa   (Chev.)    Rost,  Mon.  A  pp.,  p.  5. 
1892.  Craterium  rubiginosum  Massee,  Mon.,  p.  270. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  obovoid,  grayish  brown,  stipitate,  the  perid- 
ium  simple,  membranous,  above  thin,  pale,  more  or  less  calcareous 
below,  more  persistent  blending  with  the  stipe;  stipe  erect,  reddish 
brown  or  purplish,  expanded  below  into  a  small  hypothallus,  above, 
prolonged  within  the  sporangia  more  than  half  its  height  as  a 
definite  columella ;  capillitium  very  dense,  snow  white,  long  persist- 
ent with  the  lower  two-thirds  of  the  sporangial  wall ;  spore-mass  dark 
brown ;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  dark  violet  or  purple-brown, 
minutely  roughened  or  spinulose,  not  adherent,  12-14  fx. 

This  is  probably  the  most  common  badhamia  in  the  country  and 
in  the  world.  It  is  found  every  year,  in  the  woods,  on  masses  of 
decaying  leaves,  especially  those  of  various  species  of  oak.  The  Plas- 
modium is  yellow.     The  fructifications  are  very  distinct,  not  likely 


44  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

to  be  mistaken  for  those  of  any  other  species;  the  stipes  constitute  a 
very  prominent  feature  in  every  gathering  I  have  seen.  Sometimes 
these  are  more  or  less  coalescent,  especially  toward  the  base,  where 
they  are  apt  to  be  also  wrinkled  or  longitudinally  striate;  in  other 
specimens  the  stipes  are  well  differentiated,  long,  terete,  with  little  or 
no  hypothallus. 

Badhamia  curtisii  (Berk.)  Rost.  is  according  to  Lister  (Mon., 
p.  35)  a  sessile  phase  of  this  species.  The  only  specimens  known  are 
in  the  herbarium  of  Berkeley,  now  at  Kew.  The  species  is  based  upon 
a  gathering  from  S.  Carolina.  Berkeley  thought  it  a  didymium,  called 
it  D.  curtisii. 

Reported  from  western  Europe;  the  typical  form  abundant  in 
the  forested  regions  of  eastern  N.  America,  especially  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley. 

17.     Badhamia  subaquila  Macbr. 
1899.     Badhamia  suhaquila  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  64. 

Sporangia  closely  gregarious  or  crowded,  globose  or  subglobose, 
sessile,  brown,  the  peridium  a  thin  but  persistent  brown  membrane, 
rupturing  above  irregularly  and  remaining  as  a  cup  after  spore 
dispersal ;  hypothallus  none ;  capillitium  strongly  developed,  thorough- 
ly calcareous,  the  meshes  large,  the  nodular  thickenings  broad,  white ; 
spores  globose,  in  mass  black,  by  transmitted  light  brown,  very  rough- 
warted,  large,  15-18  fi. 

The  variety  is  founded  on  material  sent  from  Maine  by  the  late 
Mr.  F.  L.  Harvey.  Professor  Harvey,  upon  the  authority  of  Mr. 
Morgan  of  Ohio,  quotes  the  species.  Bull.  Tor.  Bot.  Club,  24,  67,  as 
B.  verna  (Somm.)  Rost.  But  the  specimens  certainly  do  not  conform 
to  description  of  B.  verna.  Here  the  wall  corresponds  with  what 
is  seen  in  B.  rubiginosa;  but  the  spores  are  much  larger,  and  the 
capillitial  structure  very  different. 

Miss  Lister  regards  this  a  form  of  No.  16.  So  far,  the  original 
gathering  represents  the  species;  but  the  woods  of  Maine  are  certain 
one  day  to  send  added  information. 

Rare.    On  mossy  logs,  Maine. 


PHYSARUM  45 

3.     Physaruin   (Persoon)  Rost. 

1794,1   Physarum  Pers.,  Rom.  Neu.  Mag.  f.  d.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  88,  in  part. 

1795.     Physarum  Pers.,   UsU  Ann.  Bot.,  XV.,  p.  5,  in  part. 

1801.     Physarum  Pers.,  Syn.  Fung.,  p.  168,  in  part. 

1829.     Physarum   (Pers.)   Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  II.,  p.  127,  in  part. 

1875.    Physarum  (Pers.)  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  93. 

Sporangia  plasmodfocarpous,  aethalioid  or  distinct ;  the  peridium 
usually  simple,  sometimes  double,  irregularly  dehiscent,  more  or  less 
definitely  calcareous;  capillitium  a  uniform  irregular  net,  dilated 
and  calcareous  at  the  nodes,  adherent  on  all  sides  to  the  peridial  wall. 

This  large  and  cosmopolitan  genus  is  readily  recognized  by  the 
characters  quoted.  It  may  be  added  that  the  capillitial  threads  are 
always  exceedingly  delicate,  probably  tubular,  but  never  filled  with 
lime  throughout;  the  peridium  may  be  almost  nude  or  encrusted 
with  lime,  which,  where  present,  is  always  amorphous,  never  crystal- 
line; the  sporangia  when  distinct  may  be  either  sessile  or  stipitate, 
and  the  stipe  in  the  latter  case  is  often  hollow  and  charged  with 
lime.  In  capillitium  intermediate  between  Leocarpus  and  Badhamia, 
since  in  the  first  the  capillitium  is  unequally  calcareous,  diverse,  while 
in  Badhamia  the  capillitium  is  intricate  and  calcareous  throughout. 

As  first  set  up  by  its  founder,  the  genus  included  diverse  forms, 
only  one  or  two  of  which  would  be  included  in  the  genus  as  now 
limited.2  Persoon,  however,  was  left  to  develop  the  matter  to  suit 
himself,  and  in  successive  works  gave,  under  this  generic  name,  more 
and  more  prominence  to  forms  now  so  referred.  Fries,  Syst.  Myc, 
III.,  pp.  127  et  seq.,  still  better  establishes  the  genus,  though  still  in- 
cluding forms  that,  judging  from  the  description,  seem  to  belong 
elsewhere.  Twenty  years  later  Fries  revising  somewhat  his  earlier 
work  thought  to  improve  the  chances  of  future  students  by  reducing 
the  number  of  physarums.  This  he  would  do  by  setting  out  cer- 
tain evidently  inter-related  forms  to  make  a  new  genus,  Tihnadoche. 

1  Prior  to  Persoon  the  physarums  were  variously  referred :  Lycoperdon, 
Sphaerocarpus,  Trichia,  etc.  It  seems  unnecessary  to  quote  the  synonymy 
further  here. 

-  Persoon's  first-named  species  is  P.  aureum;  see  Romer  Neu.  Mag.  f.  d. 
Bot.,  I.,  p.  88.     1794. 


46  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

He  named  two  or  three  species  only,  leaving  his  sucessors  to  add 
others  as  occasion  offered.^ 

Rostafinski  approved  the  good  intention  of  Fries,  but  in  the  Mono- 
graph, he  entirely  re-cast  the  genus  as  constituted  by  Fries;  actually 
called  the  species  'first  cited'  a  typical  physarum !  Would  not  have  it 
in  the  new  genus  at  all,  first  or  last;  but  instead  took  the  second 
species  of  Fries  as  the  type  and  added  several  forms,  some  from  the 
Friesian  list,  to  make  up  a  respectable  group. 

Until  quite  recently  writers  on  the  subject  have  generally  approved 
the  course  adopted  by  the  Polish  author.  The  arrangement  showed 
features  of  convenience,  even  if  artificial  to  a  degree.  Perhaps  we 
gain  advantage  in  all  directions  if  we  treat  the  original  genus 
Physarum  as  a  whole,  but  in  the  key  take  advantage  of  Fries'  sug- 
gestion.   We  may  write  — 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Physarum 

1.  Capillitium  irregularly  reticulate  throughout;  calcic  nodes  various 

Physarum 

2.  Capillitium  more  regular,  especially  below,  furcate;  nodes  fusoid 

Tilmadoche 
SECTION  I.     PHYSARUM 

I.     Fructification  not  stipitate,  more  or  less  plasmodiocarpous. 

1.  Peridiura  simple. 

a.  Calcareous    deposits    yellow        ...  1.    P.    serpula 

b.  Calcareous  deposits  reddish  or  orange       .       2.     P.  lateritium 

c.  Calcareous  deposits  white,  peridium  rugulose  .  3.  P.  vernum 

2.  Peridium  double, 

a.  Fructification    flatly   compressed        .         .  4.   P.    sinuosum 

b.  Fructification   less   compressed,    rounded. 

i.    Outer   peridium   white         .         .         .         5.     P.   bitectum 
ii.    Outer  peridium  brown  or  brown-tinged 

6.     P.  bogoriense 
iii.    Outer    peridium    yellow;    capillitium    yellow 

7.    P.  alpinum 

1  Fries  {Sum.  Veg.  Scand.,  p.  454)  described  the  new  genus  in  the  follow- 
ing words:  Tilmadoche.  Fr.  Physari  spec.  S.  M.  Peridium  simplex,  tener- 
rimum  {Angioridii)  irregulariter  rumpens.  Capillitium  intertexto-compactum, 
a  peridio  solutum  liberum,  sporisque  inspersis  fuscis.     Columella  o. 

1.  T.  leucophaea.    Fr. 

2.  T.  soluta.    (Schum.) 

3.  T.  cernua.    (Schum.) 


% 

I 

i 


PHYSARUM  47 

IL    Fructification  of  sporangia  more  or  less  distinct. 

A.  Sporangia  sessile,  globose,  ovoid,   reniform,  etc. 

1.  Peridium  double. 

a.  Sporangia   white,    peridium    testaceous   .   8.   P.   diderma 

b.  Sporangia   tinged    with   yellow. 

i.    Sporangia  as  if  interwoven,  compressed 

9.     P.  contextum 
ii.    Sporangia  more  nearly  free,  distinct. 

*  Spores  pale,  inner  peridium  brittle 

10.     P.  conglomeratum 
**  Spores  spinulose,  dark  violet         11.    P.  mortoni 

c.  Sporangia  brown,  dehiscence  revolute  12.  P.  brunneolum 

2.  Peridium   simple,   calcareous,    flaky. 

a.  Sporangia  grey,  plasmodiocarpous;   spores  dusky,   10-12 

forms  of  3 

b.  Sporangia  grey,   more  or  less   dense;   spores   violet,   6-7 

13.  P.  cinereum 

c.  Calcareous   deposits   yellow   or   greenish,   spores   7-9 

14.  P.  vires  cens 

d.  Sporangia  rusty  or  reddish  brown,  more  or  less  dense 

15.    P.  rubiginosum 

e.  Sporangia  minute,  lignicolous,  the  fructification  much  ex- 
tended upon  a  hypothallus,  lime  deposit  tawny 

16.     P.  instratum 

f.  Sporangia    white,    depressed,    annulate,    sometimes    with 
short  stipes       .         ,         .         .         17.     P.  megalosporum 

3.  Peridium  simple,  not  flaky,  small   .2-3   mm.,   heaped 

18.    P.  confertum 

B.  Sporangia,  at  least  some  of  them,  stipitate. 

a.     Sporangia  columellate. 

i.    Columella   small,  usually  conical. 
*  Sporangium  yellow. 

Columella    white       .         .         19.      P.    melleum 
Columella    yellow        .         .        20.    P.    citrinum 
**  Sporangium   not  yellow. 

Capillitial  mass  persistent. 

t  Sporangia  globose,  pallid  or  white 

21.     P.  globuliferum 
tt  Sporangia  blue  or  lilac,  rose,  etc. 

22.  P.  idacinum 
ttt  Sporangia  drab  or  brownish 

23.  P.  murinum 
tttt  Sporangia  wine-red   24.  P.  pulcherrinum 

Capillitial-mass  less  persistent;  orange 

25.     P.  pulcherripes 
ii.     Columella  long,  4-5  the  sporangium  non-calcareous. 

26.    P.  peneirale 
iii.    Columella  large  globose        .        .        27.    P.  luteo-album 


48  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

b.     Sporangia  \vithout  columella. 

i.    Sporangia   nucleate,   calcareous  at  center. 

*  Stipe  yellow     .         .         .  .        28.     P.   nucleatum 
**  Stipe  white     .        .        .  .        29.     P.  luingatense 

ii.    Sporangia   non-nucleate. 

*  Sporangia   purple         ...         30.     P.  ne<wtoni 
**  Sporangia   blue,   spotted   with    red 

31.    P.  psittacinum 
***  Grey   or   white,    iridescent   betimes. 

Sporangia  white,  discoidal ;  stipe  yellow 

32.     P.  discoidale 
Sporangia    lightly   calcareous,    iridescent,    sub- 
globose,  diam.  about  =  to  the  stout,  brown, 
slightly  wrinkled  stipe     33.     P.  leucophaeum 
°''°  Sporangia  globose  or  sub-globose. 
X.    Small,   .5   mm. 

t  Stipe  erect,  clear  brown 

34.  P.   nodulosum 
tt  Stipe  weak,  yellow,  stuffed 

35.  P.  maculatum 
XX.    Larger,  lime-capped;  stipe  strand-like 

36.     P.  didermoides 
XXX.    Stipe   snow-white,    fragile 

37.     P.  leucopus 
xxxx.    Stipe  generally  distinctly   fluted 

t  Sporangia    laterally    compressed, 

fan-shaped   38.  P.  compressum 

tt  Sporangia  typically  globose,  um- 

bilicate    below,    connate,    etc., 

strongly  calcareous 

39.     P.  notahile 

ttt  Sporangia     reniform,     concave 

below  P.  a  fine,  see  under  38 

tttt  Sporangia    larger,    to    1    mm., 

nearly  limeless,   iridescent 

40.     P.  tropicale 
°''°°    Sporangia   obovate,   compound,   clustered,   the 
stipe  fuscous,  fluted,  short. 

41.     P.  nicaraguense 
****  Sporangia  yellow,  rarely  iridescent  or  brown. 
°  Capillitial   nodes  white. 

x.    Stipe   also  white 

42.    P.  sulphureum 
XX.    Stipe  flesh-colored,  spores  smaller 
43.     P.   carneum 
XXX.     Stipe   red  or  reddish  brown 

44.     P.  citrinellum 


PHY  S  A  RUM  49 

xxxx.    Stipe    yellowish,     flaccid,     sporan- 
gia leocarpine  45.     P.  albescens 
xxxxx.     Stipe  very  short  or  none,  sporan- 
gia cylindric,  brown 

46.     P.  variabile 
°°  Capillitium  nodes  yellow  or  orange-yellow. 
X.     Badhamioid,  larger,  —  to  .8  mm. 
47.     P.  aur'tscalpium 
XX.    Physaroid,  base  persistent 

48.  P.  oblatum 
°°°  Capillitium  nodes  pure  yellow. 

X.    Capillitial  threads  yellow 

49.  P.  galbeum 
XX.    Capillitial  threads  hyaline 

50.    P.  tenerum 
XXX.    Peridium  iridescent. 

t  Capillitium  persistent 

51.     P.  flavicomum 

tt  Capillitium      less      persistent, 

larger       .        52.    P.    bethelii 

SECTION  II.     TILMADOCHE 

I.     ^thalioid,  gyrose  or  irregular 53.     P.  gyrosum 

II.     Fructification  stipitate. 

1.  Sporangia  irregular,  often  convolute,  involved    54.    P.  folycephalum 

2.  Sporangia  simple,  nutant,  discoidal. 

a.  Thin-walled,    grey    or    white        .         .         .         55.    P.    nutans 

b.  Vari-colored,  yellow,  greenish,  orange,  etc.         56.     P.  viride 

1.     Physarum  serpula  Morgan. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  6,  6  a,  and  6  b. 

1831.  Physarum  reticulatum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Schweinitz,  N.  A.  T.,  No.  2295. 

1885.  Physarum  gyrosum    (Rost.)   Wingate,  Ellis,  N.  A.  P.,  No.  1396. 

1892.  Physarum  gyrosum  Rost.,  Massee,  Mon.,  p.  307. 

1892.  Cienkoiuskia  reticulata  Rost.,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Nat.  Hist.  loiva,  II.,  2, 
p.  150. 

1894.  Badhamia  decipiens  Berk.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  33,  in  part. 

1896.  Physarum  srrpula  Morg.,   Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  p.   101, 

1899.  Physarum  serpula  Morg.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  29. 

1911.  Physarum  serpula  Morg.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  81. 

Plasmodiocarp  repent,  reticulate,  forming  anon  lines,  circles,  dots, 
etc.,  venulose  pale  yellow,  ochraceous,  at  length  whitish,  the  peridium 
thin,   membranaceous,   simple,    fragile,   but   withal   persistent,   below 


50  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

united  with  a  hypothallus  which  is  more  or  less  widely  produced; 
capillitium  rather  scant,  but  abundantly  charged  with  polygonal  nod- 
ules of  lime,  yellow;  spore-mass  black;  the  spores,  by  transmitted 
light,  violaceous,  warted,  globose,  10-13  fx.  Plasmodium,  at  matu- 
rity, greenish-yellow. 

A  very  distinct  species  not  likely  to  be  confused  with  anything 
else,  although  in  description,  so  far  as  concerns  external  characters, 
suggesting  Cienkowskia  reticulata.  The  two  forms  are  not  at  all 
alike  when  placed  side  by  side.  For  details  as  to  the  difference,  see 
the  description  of  the  species  last  mentioned. 

Apparently  not  rare  in  eastern  United  States,  Pennsylvania,  Vir- 
ginia, Ohio,  Iowa. 

In  1805,  Albertini  and  Schweinitz,  Conspectus  Fungorum,  p.  251, 
t.  7,  Fig.  2,  described  as  Physarum  reticulatum,  a  European  form 
which  became  the  basis  of  Rostafinski's  genus  Cienkowskia;  see  under 
that  genus.  Later,  1829,  Schweinitz  discovered  in  America  a  phys- 
arum-looking  specimen  which  he  took  to  be  the  same  thing,  and 
accordingly  placed  in  his  herbarium  under  this  name,  and  entered 
A^.  A.  F.  2295.  Rostafinski  further  re-named  another  Schwein- 
itzian  species  Fuligo  muscorum  calling  it,  Mon.,  p.  Ill,  Physarum 
gyrosum.  Wingate  and  Rex  apply  in  Ellis,  N.  A.  F.,  this  latter 
name  to  No.  2295  of  Schweinitz.  Such  a  reference  is  a  mistake,  judg- 
ing from  Rostafinski's  descriptions  and  from  the  description  and 
figure  of  Albertini  and  Schweinitz  (Consp.  Fung.,  p.  86,  t.  7,  I), 
and  by  the  testimony  of  Lister.  For  further  concerning  Rostafinski's 
species,  see  under  Physarum  gyrosum,  p.  Ill,  Mon, 

2.     Physarum  lateritium  {Berk.  £sf  Rav.)  Rost. 

1873.  Didymium  lateritium  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  65. 

1875.  Physarum  ditmari  lateritium  Rost.,  Mon.,  App.,  p.  9. 

1879.  Physarum  inequale  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  40. 

1892.  Physarum  chrysotrichum  Berk.  &  C,  Massee,  p.  300. 

1894.  Physarum  inequale  Peck,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  60. 

1896.  Physarum  lateritium   (Berk.  &  Rav.)  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  95. 

1899.  Physarum  lateritium  (Berk.  &  Rav.)  Morg.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  33. 
p.  33. 

1911.  Physarum  lateritium  Morg.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  82. 


PHY  S  ARUM  51 

Plasmodium  scarlet.  Sporangia  gregarious,  sessile,  globose  or  sub- 
globose,  or  sometimes  plasmodiocarpous,  yellowish  or  orange,  every- 
where, when  fresh,  spotted  with  minute  scarlet  granules;  the 
peridium  thin,  more  or  less  rugulose;  columella  none;  capillitium 
delicate,  generally  yellow,  with  nodules  conspicuous,  yellow  or  red- 
dish; spores  violet-brown  in  mass,  by  transmitted  light  pale  violet, 
minutely  roughened,  7-9  /*. 

A  well-marked  species  easily  recognized  by  the  characters  cited. 
The  extent  of  lime  deposit  at  the  capillitial  nodes  varies ;  sometimes 
very  little.  This  accounts  for  Berkeley's  generic  reference.  On 
the  other  hand.  Lister  makes  the  rounded  lime  knots  "each  knot  with 
a  red  centre  surrounded  by  yellow,  round,  lime-granules"  diagnostic. 
This  pied  condition  does  not  come  out  in  any  of  our  specimens. 
The  capillitium  in  broken  specimens  soon  fades,  tends  to  white,  etc. 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Colorado,  and  south.  Ceylon, 
Java,  Brazil. 

3.     Physarum  vernum  Somm. 

1829.  Physarum  vernum  Somm.,  Fries,  Syst.  MycoL,  III.,  p.  146. 

1875.  Physarum  cinereum   (Batsch),  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  102,  in  part. 

1875.  Badhamia  verna  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  145. 

1894.  Badhamia  panicea  Rest.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  34. 

1899.  Physarum  cinereum  (Batsch)  Rost,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  34  (in 
part). 

1911.  Physarum  vernum  Somm.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  75. 

"Plasmodium  white."  Sporangia  sessile,  generally  plasmodiocar- 
pous white,  nearly  smooth ;  peridium  more  or  less  testaceous  not  scaly, 
but  breaking  irregularly;  capillitium  densely  calcareous,  the  nodules 
angular,  branching,  sometimes  united  to  form  a  pseudo-columella; 
spores  dusky  violaceous,  rough,  10-12  {x. 

Sommerfeldt's  description  quoted  by  Fries,  /.  c,  evidently  con- 
cerned a  less  calcareous  phase.  Fries  by  his  annotation  relieves  some- 
what the  reader's  uncertainty. 

Rostafinski  calls  this  a  badhamia  but  describes  a  physarum,  and  the 
form  has,  as  is  believed,  been  consistently  confused  with  P.  cinereum 
by  every  student  of  the  group  from  the  days  of  DeBary  until  now. 
In  the  second  edition  of  the  Mycetozoa,  Lister  clears  the  situation 


52  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

by  transferring  the  species  to  Physarum,  and  calling  attention  to 
spore-dimensions.  The  fact  is,  the  species  in  external  appearance  so 
much  resembles  P.  cinereum,  that  the  unaided  eye  cannot  distinguish 
one  from  the  other.  Curiously  enough,  Rostafinsici  describes  the 
form  he  had  before  him  as  "one  of  the  rarest."  Doubtless  had  he 
gone  back  to  his  specimens  of  P.  cinereum  he  had  found  plenty,  for 
in  Europe  it  seems  abundant  everywhere.  In  this  country  it  is  P. 
cinereum  as  now  defined,  that  is  rarer,  although  not  uncommon. 
From  all  connection  with  Badhamia,  as  representing  B.  panicea  it 
should,  as  would  appear,  be  withdrawn  once  for  all. 

4.     Physarum  sinuosum   {Bull.)    Weinm. 

Plate  VIII.,  Figs.  6  and  6  a,  and  Plate  XIX,  Fig.  15. 

1791.  Reticularia  s'lnuosa  Bulliard,  Champ.,  p.  94;  t.  446,  Fig.  3. 

1796.  Physarum  bivalve  Persoon,  Obs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  6 ;  t.  III.,  Fig.  2. 

1828.  Physarum   sinuosum   Wein.,   Fries  teste,   I.   c. 

1828.  Angioridium  sinuosum  Grev.,  Scot.  Crypt.  Fl.,  310. 

1829.  Physarum  sinuosum  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  145. 
1875.  Physarum   sinuosum    (Bull.)    Rost.,   Monograph,   p.   112. 
1892.  Physarum  sinuosum  Rost.,   Massee,  Mon.,  p.   305. 
1894.  Physarum   bivalve  Pers.,   Lister,  Mycetozoa,   p.   57. 

1896.     Angioridium  sinuosum    (Grev.),  Morg.,  Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  p.  75. 
1899.     Physarum  sinuosum    (Bull.)   Wein.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  28. 
1911.     Physarum  sinuosum  Wein.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  76. 

Sporangia  distinct  or  plasmodiocarpous,  the  plasmodiocarp  creeping 
in  long  vein-like  reticulations  or  curves,  laterally  compressed ;  some- 
times distinct  and  crowded,  always  sessile.  Peridium  double;  the 
outer  thick,  calcareous,  fragile,  snow-white;  the  inner  delicate,  the 
dehiscence  by  more  or  less  regular  longitudinal  fissure.  Capillitium 
strongly  developed  with  abundant  white,  calcareous  granules.  Spores 
smooth,  dull  violet,  8-9  ix.     Plasmodium  pale  gray,  or  nearly  white. 

Easily  recognized  at  sight  by  its  peculiar  form,  bilabiate  and  sinu- 
ous. Apart  from  microscopic  structure,  perfectly  described  by  Fries, 
Syst.  Myc,  p.  145.  Bulliard  called  it  Reticularia  sinuosa.  Habitat 
various,  but  not  infrequently  the  upper  surface  of  the  leaves  of  living 
plants,  a  few  inches  from  the  ground.  The  two  sorts  of  fructifica- 
tion often  occur  side  by  side,  or  merge  into  one  another  from  the 


PHY  S  A  RUM  53 

same  Plasmodium.  Where  the  substratum  affords  room  the  plas- 
modiocarpous  style  prevails ;  in  narrower  limits  single  sporangia  stand. 
The  calcareous  deposit  on  the  peridium  is  usually  very  rich  and  under 
a  lens  appears  made  up  of  countless  snowy  or  creamy  flakes.  Forms 
occur,  however,  in  which  these  outer  calcic  deposits  are  almost  en- 
tirely wanting;  the  peridium  becomes  transparent,  the  capillitium 
visible  from  without.  Judging  from  material  before  us,  this  appears 
to  be  the  common  presentation  in  western  Europe.  See  also  No.  5 
following. 

Widely  distributed.  New  England  to  the  Carolinas,  and  Loui- 
siana west  to  South  Dakota  and  Nebraska,  Iowa  and  Washington. 

5.     Physarum  bitectum  List. 

Plate   XIX.,   Fig.    16. 

1891.     Physarum  diderma  Rost.,  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  XXIX.,  p.  260. 
1894.     Physarum  diderma  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  57. 
1911.     Physarum  bitectum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  78. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  subglobose,  sessile  or  plasmodiocarpous, 
smooth  white  or  pallid,  terete  or  somewhat  compressed ;  peridium  dou- 
ble, the  outer  wall  calcareous,  free  and  deciduous  above,  recurved  and 
persistent  below;  the  inner,  smooth,  pale  purplish,  more  persistent; 
dehiscence  more  or  less  irregular  beginning  at  the  top ;  capillitium  of 
large  white  nodules  connected  by  short  hyaline  threads;  spores  gen- 
erally spinulose,  violaceous  brown,  9-10  fi. 

As  suggested  by  the  author  of  this  species  it  is  properly  a  variety 
of  P.  sinuosum;  certainly  is,  as  it  presents  itself  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  Of  the  species  last  named  we  have  compressed  forms  opening 
by  narrow  fissure  along  their  knife-edged  summit,  with  scarce  place 
for  capillitium  at  all  between  the  approaching  walls;  again  we  have 
colonies  of  sporangia  quite  terete,  calcareous  without,  opening  in 
fragmental  fashion  at  the  top,  displaying  sometimes  the  thin  membran- 
ous inner  wall  but  at  length  fissured  and  gaping  as  in  the  more  usual 
phase  figured  by  authors,  where  the  plasmodiocarp  is  simply  com- 
pressed but  not  extravagantly  thin.  Both  types  occur  in  the  western 
mountains,  forms  with  and  without  calcium,  fissured  by  wider  or 
narrower   cleft,    frotn    the   same   Plasmodium;    forms   bilabiate    and 


54  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

forms  opening  at  first  to  display  an  inner  peridium;  forms  globose 
with  narrow  base,  but  apex  cleft,  and  forms  ellipsoidal,  yet  compressed, 
opening  like  the  gaping  of  some  tiniest  bivalve;  did  not  Persoon  say 
P.  bivalve!  all  are  bivalvular  at  the  last!  Nay;  but  what  are  these? 
Here  are  some  of  the  shorter  forms  become  suddenly  obovate,  and 
are  actually  mounted  on  stipes!  Surely  variation  in  the  same  Plas- 
modium can  no  farther  go!^ 

Not  rare.  Colorado  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  Evidently  a  western- 
American  variation  of  Bulliard's  European  type.  The  latter  occurs 
abundantly  in  Iowa  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Okoboji;  otherwise  not 
common. 

6.  Physarum  bogoriense  Racib. 

1898.    Physarum  bogoriense  Raciborski,  Hedw.,  XXXVIL,  p.  52. 

Sporangia  sessile,  elongate,  creeping  but  not  reticulate,  semicircular 
in  transverse  section,  sometimes  globose  or  depressed  globose ;  peridium 
double,  the  outer  thick  coriaceous,  yellow  or  brown,  dehiscing  stellate- 
ly  into  persistent  more  or  less  triangular  reflected  lobes,  remote  from 
the  thin,  colorless  inner  wall;  columella  none;  capillitium  feebly  de- 
veloped, the  nodes  white,  large,  isodiametric ;  spores  bright  violet, 
smooth,  7-8  fx. 

This  species  is  not  uncommon  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado  where 
it  has  been  taken  at  various  stations  by  Bethel.  It  is  reported  from 
Pennsylvania  and  South  Carolina.  Raciborski  describes  it  from  Java. 

In  habit  it  is  very  much  like  some  forms  of  P.  sinuosum  but  differs 
in  the  depressed,  rather  than  compressed  sporangia,  and  in  the  brown 
color  of  the  outer  peridium. 

7.  Physarum  alpinum  G.  List. 

1910.     Physarum  alpinum  G.  Lister,  Jour.  Bot.,  XLVII.,  p.  73. 

Sporangia  globose  and  sessile  or  plasmodiocarpous,  dull  yellow, 
smooth  or  scaly;  peridium  double,  the  outer  wall  densely  calcareous, 
separating  irregularly  from  the  membranous  inner  wall ;  capillitium 

1  See  also  Inauff.  Diss.,  H.  Ronn,  Schr.  d.  Naturiv.  Ver.  f.  Schl.  Hoist.,  XV., 
Hpt.  I.,  p.  55,  1911. 


PHYSARUM  55 

densely  calcareous,  the  nodes  large,  more  or  less  branched,  yellow; 
spores  purple  brown,  closely  and  minutely  warted,  9-14  /x. 

This  species  is  based  by  its  author  upon  a  gathering  made  in  Cali- 
fornia by  Dr.  Harkness  and  named  by  Phillips  who  received  it  in 
England,  badhamia  inavrata.  He  seems  not  to  have  described  it. 
Since  its  first  appearance,  the  form  has  been  found  repeatedly  in  the 
Juras.  Specimens  are  before  me  from  Mt.  Rainier  believed  to  be 
the  same.  The  plasmodiocarpous  habit  and  yellow  capillitium  separate 
this  from  related  P.  contextum  and  P.  mortoni. 

Europe,  California,  Washington. 

8.     Physarum  diderma  Rost. 

Plate  XVIIL,  Fig.  9. 

1875.  Physarum  diderma  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  110. 

1898.  Physarum  didermoides  var.  Iwidum  List,  Jour,  Bot.,  XXXVI,,  p. 
162. 

1899.  Physarum  diderma  Rost,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  30. 

1911.     Physarum  testaceum  Sturgis,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  79. 

Sporangia  snow-white,  clustered,  sessile  or  narrowly  adnate, 
globose  or  polygonal  by  mutual  compression;  peridium  double,  the 
outer  dense,  fragile,  thick,  calcareous,  the  inner  delicate,  remote, 
translucent,  capillitium  well  developed,  the  calcareous  nodules  white, 
rounded  or  angular,  sometimes  uniting  to  form  a  pseudo-columella ; 
spore-mass  black;  spores  purplish,  distinctly  rough,  10-12  fi. 

A  beautiful  and  distinct  species.  As  others  in  the  group  with  which 
it  is  here  associated,  it  is  a  physarum  with  the  outward  seeming  of  a 
diderma.  It  occurs  in  Europe,  therefore  it  is  safe  to  assume  that 
Rostafinski  saw  it.  So  well  marked  it  is  that  any  good  description 
will  define  it,  and  Rostafinski  describes  it  perfectly,  adequately.^ 

Mr.  Lister  having  used  for  another  species  the  name  we  here  apply 
—  see  under  P.  bitecturn  —  referred  this  present  form  to  P.  dider- 

1  Inasmuch  as  there  has  been  decided  difference  of  opinion  in  reference  to 
this  particular  species, — all  judges  readers  of  the  same  original  description, — 
it  has  seemed  wise  to  submit  an  English  translation  from  the  celebrated 
Monograph  loc.  cit. 

"24.     Physarum  diderma  Rfski. 

"Sporangia  sessile,  globose,  adnate  by  a  narrow  base,  white.  Peridium 
double;   the  outer  thick,  strongly  calcareous,  very  distinctly  set  off  from  the 


56  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

nioidcs  Rost.,  /.  c.  Professor  Sturgis,  convinced  that  such  reference 
was  at  least  doubtful,  gave  to  our  American  gatherings  the  distinctive 
name  above,  citing  specimens  from  Massachusetts,  from  Colorado,  and 
from  California.  Curiously  enough  he  also  includes  specimens  of  R. 
didermoides  var.  lividum  List.,  sent  from  England ! 

Rare!  Certainly  rare  in  Europe  and  so  far  seldom  seen  in  the 
United  States,  though  widely  distributed.  Specimens  are  before  us 
from  Ohio,  Michigan,  Iowa,  Oregon.  No  doubt  the  mountains  of 
the  north  Pacific  coast,  a  region  to-day  almost  unsearched,  will  yet 
afford  the  species  in  abundance. 

As  stated  Mr.  Lister  first  applied  the  name  P.  diderma  to  a  plas- 
modiocarpous  form  occurring  in  England  and  near  P.  sinuosum. 
More  lately,  Mon.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  78,  he  adopts  a  new  specific  name,  P. 
bitectum  for  the  English  specimens,  and  enters  P.  diderma  as  a  prob- 
able synonym  for  P.  lividum  R.  Evidently  our  present  form  as  de- 
scribed above  has  not  come  to  Mr.  Lister's  view.  He  says  the 
original  type  is  not  to  be  consulted. 

There  is  really  no  more  merit  in  this  later  comparison  than  in  that 
discarded.  The  species  P.  diderma  is  not  P.  lividum,  but  stands  as 
originally  delimited,  and  will,  doubtless,  some  day  yet  again  appear  in 
its  own  behalf  upon  the  witness-stand  of  time;  when,  as  before,  a 
Frenchman  in  DeBary's  old-time  haunts  may  rise  to  give  it  welcome, 
brought  back  by  some  keen-eyed  Polish  student  eager  now  in  the  arts 
of  peace,  from  Warsaw's  shady  groves. 

9.     Physarum  contextum  Persoon. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  3  and  3  a. 

1796.     Diderma  contextum  Persoon,  Ohs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  89. 
1801.     Physarum    contextum   Persoon,   Syn.  Meth.,   p.    168. 

thin  inner  one  by  an  air-filled  space;  the  calcareous  nodules  many,  angular, 
loosely  developed  within  to  form  a  pseudo-columella ;  spores  dark  violet, 
spinescent,   9.2-10    in   diameter. 

"Opis.     This  physarum  looks  extremely  like  a  diderma. 

"The  sporangia  stand  either  aggregated  or  bunched  together  in  heaps  of 
five  to  twelve,  adnate  to  the  hypothallus  by  a  narrow  base,  etc." 

Massee,  Mon.,  p.  304,  translated  this  description,  but  misunderstood  what 
is  said  of  the  columella  and  is  inclined  to  think  the  author  did  not  know  a 
diderma  when  he  saw  one;  which  is  pretentious,  to  say  the  least! 


PHYSARUM  57 

1829.     Diderma  contcxium  Persoon,  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  111. 

1873.     Diderma  ocliroleucum  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  52. 

1879.     Diderma  fiavidum  Pk.,  A^.  Y.  Rep.  State  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  55. 

Sporangia  distinct,  sessile,  densely  crowded,  sub-rotund  reniform 
more  often  elongate,  interwoven ;  peridium  double ;  the  outer  rather 
thick,  calcareous,  yellow,  or  yellowish  white,  the  inner  thin,  yellow- 
ish ;  capillitium  white,  containing  numerous  large,  irregular  calcare- 
ous granules;  columella  none;  spores  deep  violet,  11-13  fx,  covered 
with  minute  spinules. 

This  singular  species  occurs  not  rarely  upon  the  bark  of  fallen 
twigs,  upon  bits  of  straw  or  grass-stems  lying  undisturbed  upon  the 
ground.  In  such  a  position  the  slime-mould  covers,  as  with  a  sheath, 
the  entire  substratum.  The  outer  peridium,  especially  its  upper 
part,  is  entirely  evanescent,  our  Fig.  3  shows  the  sporangia  with 
upper  outer  peridium  wanting.     Not  rare  in  summer  and  autumn. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Wisconsin,  Illi- 
nois, Iowa,  Colorado,  Oregon,  Nicaragua. 

10.     Physarum  conglomeratum   (Fr.)   Rost. 

1803.  Spumaria  granulata  Schum.,  Enum,  PL  SaelL,  II.,  p.  196,  No.  1419. 

1803.  Spumaria  minuta  Schum.,  /.   c. 

1829.  Diderma  granulatum  Schum.,  Fries,  5.  M.,  III.,  p.  110. 

1829.  Diderma  minutum  Schum.,  Fries,  /.  c,  p.  111. 

1829.  Diderma  conglomeratum  Fries,  /.  c,  p.   111. 

1875.  Physarum  conglomeratum    (Fr.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  108. 

1892.  Physarum   rostafinskii  Massee,   Mon.,  p.   301. 

1894.  Physarum   conglomeratum  Rest,   Lister,   Mycetozoa,  p.   58. 

1899.  Physarum  conglomeratum    (Fr.)   Rost.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  31. 

1911.  Physarum  conglomeratum  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  80. 

Sporangia  depressed,  globose,  or  irregular,  sessile,  more  or  less 
aggregated,  ochraceous-yellow,  peridium  double,  the  outer,  thick, 
cartilaginous,  at  length  irregularly  ruptured,  and  reflexed,  disclosing 
the  more  delicate,  ashen-gray,  inner  membrane  which  encloses  capilli- 
tium and  spores ;  capillitium  abundant,  showing  large,  white  irregular 
calcareous  thickenings  which  are  often  consolidated  in  some  spo- 
rangia tend  to  aggregate  at  the  centre ;  spore-mass  brown,  spores  vio- 
laceous, slightly  roughened,  8-10  /x. 

This  beautiful  species  shows  a  peridium  as  distinctly  double  as  in 


58  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

any  diderma.  The  outer  peridium  is  reflexed  exactly  as  in  some 
species  of  that  genus;  is  yellow  without,  white  within,  and  withal 
long  persistent.  The  capillitium  of  course  distinguishes  the  species 
instantly  as  a  physarum.  By  the  size  of  the  spores  it  is  distinguished 
from  the  species  preceding.  This  being  a  decisive  specific  character 
the  synonymy  prior  to  Rostafinski  is  somewhat  uncertain.  The  spe- 
cific name  adopted  by  the  Polish  author  is  therefore  approved,  al- 
though perhaps  not  the  earliest. 

Rare.  The  only  specimens  thus  far  are  from  Tennessee  and  Lou- 
isiana. 

11.  Physarum  mortoni  Macbr.  n.  s. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  2,  2  a. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  clustered  but  distinct,  sessile  small,  about 
.75  mm.,  bright  yellow,  peridium  double.  The  outer  rough,  break- 
ing up  into  comparatively  few  rather  large  deciduous  scales,  the  inner 
peridium  white,  calcareous,  both  persisting  below  to  form  a  distinct 
cup;  capillitium  lax,  the  nodes  white,  large,  angular;  columella  none; 
hypothallus  none ;  spores  distinctly  rough,  dark  brown  with  the  usual 
purple  shadow,  10-12  /a. 

A  very  distinct  little  species  related,  no  doubt,  to  P.  contextum, 
but  different  in  habit.  It  is  never  crowded,  shows  no  plasmodio- 
carpous  tendencies,  while  the  outer  peridium  is  generally  deciduous 
except  at  the  base  and  falls  in  flakes. 

Collected  several  times  in  the  Three  Sisters  Mountains  of  Oregon 
by  Professor  Morton  E.  Peck. 

12.  Physarum  brunneolum  {Phillips)  Mass. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  7,  7  a. 

1877.     Diderma  brunneolum  Phillips,   Grev.,  V.,  p.  114. 
1888.     Diderma  brunneolum  Phill.,  Saccardo,  Syll.  Fung.,  No.   1292. 
1892.     Physarum  brunneolum  Phill.,  Massee,  Man.,  p.  280,  Figs.  221-222. 
1894.     Craterium   pedunculatum   Lister,   Mycetozoa,   p.    71. 
1911.     Physarum  brunneolum  Mass.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  63,  Pi. 
69,  Fig.  a. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  but  not  crowded,  sessile,  glo- 


PHY  S  A  RUM  59 

bose  or  sub-depressed;  peridium  double,  thick,  smooth  or  polished, 
yellow  brown,  stellately  dehiscent,  the  segments  reflexed,  white  with- 
in; columella  none;  capillitium  dense,  with  nodes  numerous,  large 
irregular,  internodes  thin  and  short;  spores  globose,  lilac,  minutely 
warted,  6-7  fi. 

This  form  was  first  described  in  Grevillea,  V.,  p.  114,  as  Diderma 
brunneolum  Phillips.  Later,  students  of  the  specimens  preserved  by 
Mr.  Phillips,  concur  that  we  have  to  do  not  with  a  diderma,  but  with 
a  craterium,  Lister,  or  physarum,  Massee.  There  seems  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  respect  the  decision  of  Massee,  whose  descrip- 
tion is  here  quoted  in  form  somewhat  abridged.  The  peridium 
is  about  as  double  as  in  the  many  physarums,  not  more  so ;  the  inner 
membrane  so  delicate  as  only  occasionally  to  be  revealed  except  to 
scrutiny  most  searching.  But  the  appearance  as  a  whole  is  as  of 
some  brown  diderma;  only  the  calcareous  capillitium  abides  to  pre- 
vent mistaken  reference. 

When  opened  by  irregular  dehiscence  from  above,  the  persisting 
cup-like  base  of  the  sporangium  recalls  Leocarpus  fragilis;  but  then 
again  the  capillitium  is  different. 

California,   Portugal ;  Colorado, — Sturgis. 

13.     Physarum  cinereum  (Batsch)  Pers. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  4,  4  a,  4  Z'. 

1786.  Lycoperdon  cinereum  Batsch,  Blench.  Fung.,  p.  249,  Fig.   169. 

1801.  Physarum  griseum  Link,  Diss.,  I,  p.  27. 

1805.  Physarum  cinereum  Persoon,  Synopsis,  p.  170. 

1829.  Didymium  cinereum  Batsch,  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  126. 

1829.  Physarum  plumbeum  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,   p.   142. 

1875.  Physarum  cinereum  Batsch,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  102,  in  part. 

1896.  Physarum  plurnbeum  Fr.,  Morgan,  Myx.  Mi.  Val.,  p.  98. 

1899.  Physarum  plumbeum  Fr.,   Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.   35. 

1909.  Physarum  cinereum  (Batsch)  Pers.,  Torrend,  Flore  des  Myx.,  p.  183. 

Plasmodium  watery  white,  or  transparent,  wide  streaming  on 
decaying  sod,  etc.  Sporangia  sessile,  closely  gregarious,  or  even 
heaped,  sub-globose,  elongate  or  plasmodiocarpous,  more  or  less  cal- 
careous, gray ;  peridium  simple,  thin,  more  or  less  densely  coated  with 
lime;  capillitium  strongly  developed,  the  nodes  more  or  less  richly 


60  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

calcareous,  the  lime-knots  rounded,  angular ;  spore-mass  brown,  spores 
clear  violaceous-brown,  6-7 yu,,  distinctly  warted. 

This  delicate,  inconspicuous  species  is  well  defined  by  the  charac- 
ters given.  It  occurs  not  rarely  on  richly  manured  ground,  in 
meadows,  lawns,  or  even  on  the  open  prairie.  The  Plasmodium  may 
form  rings  several  inches  in  diameter,  scattered  here  and  there  over 
a  surface  several  square  feet  in  extent,  in  fruit  ascending  the  blades 
of  grass,  completely  covering  these  with  the  crowded  sporangia.  The 
color  of  the  fruit  is  well  described  in  the  specific  name;  gray  or 
ashen  gray.  The  spores  are  very  distinctly  papillate ;  in  some  speci- 
mens, however,  almost  smooth;  in  few  instances,  rough. 

Common.  New  England  west  to  the  Black  Hills  and  Pacific 
coast.     Cosmopolitan. 

The  present  species  well  illustrates  the  difficulty  confronting  the 
author  of  to-day  who,  discussing  a  group  of  microscopic  organisms, 
would  fain  use  the  nomenclature  of  his  predecessors,  honored,  but 
equipped  with  insufficient  lenses.  Here  is  a  species  reported  common 
in  Europe,  observed  by  every  mycologist  there,  from  Micheli  down, 
and  yet  awaiting  adequate  description  until  Rostafinski  in  his  great 
book,  gives  the  results  of  microscopic  analysis.  We  are  now  really 
dealing  with  P.  cinereum  Rost;  P.  cinereum  Batsch  is  a  compliment 
to  certain  rather  clever  water-color  drawings. 

Rostafinski  gives  a  long  list  of  synonyms,  none,  it  is  believed,  rep- 
resent American  forms;  and  without  taking  careful  thought,  surely 
no  one  would  rudely  disturb  such  honorable  interment ;  but,  in  his 
description  the  range  of  spore-measurement,  7-13.3  fx,  gives  us  pause, 
and  raises  the  suspicion  that  possibly,  in  one  case  or  another,  the 
sepulture  were  perhaps  premature.  The  range  is  too  great !  Per- 
haps, in  the  series  offered  in  confirmation,  small-spored  forms  repre- 
sent one  species,  large-spored,  something  else? 

European  students  may  decide  this  at  their  leisure.  But  Rosta- 
finski having,  not  without  much  labor,  practically  completed  his 
review  of  the  physaroid  forms  had  almost  finished  the  last  genus 
Badhamia,  when  his  mind  perhaps  returned,  no  doubt  with  some 
lingering  misgivings,  to  the  thirteenth  species  in  his  physarum  list. 
There  were  there,  he  recalled,  some  large-spored  specimens  which 


PHYSARUM  61 

had  rather  badhamioid  capillitium.  The  sessile  physarums  of  Fries 
were  also  before  him,  those  especially,  "floccis  albis."  Of  these  one 
shall  be  B.  panicea,  one  B.  lilacina  and  one  B.  verna,  described  as 
having  rather  delicate  colorless  capillitial  tubes  combined  in  a  loose 
net,  the  calcareous  deposits  about  the  enlarged  intersections  scanty, 
the  spores  12.5  jx. 

The  description  of  the  fructification  as  a  whole  is  a  condensed 
statement  of  that  which  describes  P.  vernum,  and  all  taken  together 
indicates  some  physarum.     See  now  No.  3  preceding,  p.  51. 

P.  plumbeum  Fr.  belongs  here.  It  has  similar  spores,  the  only  dif- 
ference is  a  less  calcareous  peridium  and  more  scattered  habit  of 
fructification  with  more  nearly  regular,  depressed-globose  sporangia. 

P.  cinereum  Pers.  as  cited  by  Link,  op.  cit.,  is  apparently  a  bad- 
hamia,  may  be  P.  vernunij  while  P.  griseum  is  probably  the  present 
species. 

14.     Physarum  virescens  Ditmar. 

Plate  VIII.,  Figs.  7,7  a,  1  b. 

1817.  Physarum  virescens  Ditmar,  Sturm,  Deutsch.  Fl.  Pilze,  I.,  p.  123, 
PI.  61. 

1875.  Physarum   ditmari  Rost,  Mon.,  App.,  p.   8. 

1892.  Physarum  ditmari  Rost.,  Macbn,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la.,  II.,  p.  155. 

1894.  Physarum  'virescens  Ditmar,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  65. 

1909.  Physarum  virescens  Ditmar,  Torrend,   Flo.   d  Myx.,   No.  207. 

1911.  Physarum  virescens  Ditmar,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  83. 

Sporangia  sessile,  crowded  or  heaped  in  small  bunches,  a  dozen  or 
more  sporangia  in  one  pile,  spherical,  ovoid  or  elongate,  yellow  or 
greenish  yellow;  peridium  thin,  fragile;  capillitium  delicate,  with 
rather  small,  irregular,  yellowish,  calcareous  nodes;  columella  none; 
spores  bright  violet,  minutely  roughened,  7—9  /x. 

This  species  occurs  more  commonly  on  moss-tufts,  with  which  it  is 
frequently  con-colorless,  or  escaped  on  dead  leaves,  etc.  The  peridium 
is  flecked  with  calcareous  scales  or  grains  stained  yellow  or  green,  and 
to  these  the  whole  fruit  owes  its  peculiar  color.  The  color  and 
aggregate,   heaped   sporangia   are   distinctive  macroscopic   characters. 

In  the  Monograph,  p.  113,  Rostafinski  adopted  properly  Ditmar's 
name  for  this  species.     Upon  later  consideration,  in  the  Appendix, 


62  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

p.  8,  he  changed  the  name,  writing  P.  ditmari,  on  the  ground  that 
virescens  was  descriptive  of  a  character  to  which  the  species  in  question 
occasionally  refuses  to  conform.  Most  authors  since  Rostafinski  have 
simply  accepted  his  suggestion,  so  that  the  species  is  often  entered 
P.  ditmari  Rost.  P.  virescens  is  certainly  to  be  preferred.  N.  A.  F., 
2692. 

Canada,  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa, 
Black  Hills,  South  Dakota. 

15.  Physarum  rubiginosum  Fries. 

1817.    Physarum  rubiginosum  Fries,  Symb.  Gast.,  p.  21. 

Plasmodium  scarlet.  Sporangia  globose  or  cylindric,  sessile  or  some- 
times narrowed  to  a  stem-like  base  as  if  short-stipitate,  olivaceous 
brown  with  sometimes  a  flush  of  red ;  the  peridium  simple,  thin  rugu- 
lose  or  plain,  the  calcareous  scales  few,  or  apparently  included; 
columella  none ;  capillitium  dense,  the  nodules  rather  large,  angular, 
rusty  brown;  spores  dull  violaceous,  gently  roughened,  about  10  /x. 

A  beautiful  well-marked  species,  but  evidently  rare  in  North  Amer- 
ica. Our  only  typical  specimens  are  from  the  gatherings  by  Mr. 
Wingate,  part  of  which  is  by  Lister  referred  to  this  species,  Myce- 
tozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  82. 

P.  rubiginosum  Fr.  in  the  N.  A.  S.,  1899,  is  based  on  certain  west 
coast  specimens  now  known  as  Badhamia  decipiens  Berk. 

In  Colorado  there  occurs  a  plasmodiocarpous  form  of  the  species. 
It  has  the  characteristic  spore  and  capillitium  but  in  form  and  habit 
differs  very  decidedly.  The  fructification  is  a  delicate  netted  plas- 
modiocarp,  the  tubule  about  .5  mm.,  bright  red ;  the  peridium  simple, 
cartilaginous,  dehiscent  from  above,  and  flecked  with  just  here  and 
there  a  red  calcareous  scale. 

Collected  at  Palmer  Lake ;  Professor  Bethel. 

16.  Physarum  instratum  Macbr.  n.  s. 

1899.     Physarum  thejoteum  Macbride,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  36,  not  Fries,  as  cited. 
1911.     Physarum  virescens  Ditmar,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  83. 

Sporangia  very  small,  closely  crowded  on  a  delicate,  more  or  less 


PHY  S  ARUM  63 

visible  hyphothallus,  often  connate,  but  not  superimposed,  sub-spheri- 
cal, dull  orange,  brownish  or  tawny;  peridium  thin,  violaceous,  covered 
with  very  minute  yellow  calcareous  scales ;  columella  none ;  capillitium 
lax,  sometimes  almost  wanting;  the  nodules  small,  yellowish  or 
brownish,  occasionally  confluent;  spore-mass  violaceous,  spores  by 
transmitted  light,  violet-tinted,  smooth  or  nearly  so,  6-7  /x. 

Not  uncommon  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  where  it  sometimes  is 
passed  by  the  collector  as  an  immature  form  of  some  other  species. 
The  appearance  is  very  characteristic,  unlike  P.  virescens  in  both  habit, 
size,  and  color.  Colonies  are  quite  often  three  inches  in  length.  The 
most  common  habitat  seems  to  be  rotten  oak,  especially  fragments  of 
charred  logs,  etc. 

Ohio,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Nebraska. 

This  species  presents  a  decidedly  well-marked  form,  so  much  so  that 
it  may  be  easily  recognized  at  sight,  without  a  lens.  It  therefore  re- 
quires special  discussion,  and  although  in  the  spore-characters  and 
some  minor  but  not  determinative  details  it  agrees  with  P.  virescens 
Ditm.  to  which  it  is  by  European  authors  sometimes  referred,  it 
seems  nevertheless  deserving  of  specific  recognition,  since  in  its  entire 
habit  and  expression  it  is  not  only  completely  different  but  is  constant 
in  its  specific  peculiarities,  much  more  so  than  is  the  suggested  related 
form. 

In  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  the  form  was  referred  to  Physarum 
thejoteum  of  Fries.  This  was  the  judgment  of  our  American  col- 
league. Professor  A.  P.  Morgan  whose  work  in  this  group  is  widely 
recognized.  Fries  admits,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  142,  that  while  he 
deems  P.  thejoteum  very  distinct,  he  yet  has  not  seen  P.  virescens 
Ditm. !  Since  our  form  apparently  does  not  occur  in  Europe,  speci- 
mens which  the  distinguished  author  had  before  him  were  doubtless 
representatives  of  the  now  commonly  recognized  species  of  Ditmar. 

For  these  reasons  it  seems  appropriate  to  give  the  American  type  a 
suitably  descriptive  title. 

17.    Physarum  megalosporum  Sturg. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs,  7  and  7  a. 
1917.     Physarum  megalosporum  Sturgis,  Mycologia,  Vol.  IX.,  p.  3. 


64  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sessile,  or  short  stipitate  depressed,  annulate, 
or  at  least  umbilicate  above,  white  or  anon  roseate,  about  .75  mm; 
stipe,  when  present,  short,  thick,  black  or  dark  brown!  hypothallus 
none ;  columella  none ;  cspillitium  strongly  calcareous,  an  abundance 
of  irregular  white  nodules  burden  the  delicate  net ;  spores  dark  sooty 
brown  with  a  shade  of  purple  by  transmitted  light,  verruculose, 
12-13  fji. 

This  species  is  recognizable  at  once  by  its  regular,  uniform,  de- 
pressed, annulate  or  pitted  sporangia,  scattered  evenly  over  the  habitat 
of  rotten  leaves  or  wood.  It  suggests  a  didymium  in  its  form  and 
habit,  but  is  near  a  badhamia.     Colorado;  Bethel,  1908. 

18.     Physarum  confertum  Macbr.  nom.  nov. 

Plate  XV.,  Figs.  1,  1  a,  1  h. 

1899.     Physarum  atrum  Schw.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  36. 

1911.     Physarum  atrum  Schw.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  74. 

Sporangia  small  about  .2-.3  mm.  in  diameter,  gregarious,  confluent, 
clustered  or  heaped,  dull  violaceous  brown ;  peridium  thin,  more  or 
less  transparent,  generally  limeless  but  sometimes  lightly  sprinkled 
with  minute  white  flecks:  capillitium  scanty,  the  calcareous  nodes 
small,  rounded,  elongate,  white !  columella  none ;  spores  violet-brown, 
distinctly  warted,    10-12  fx. 

Having  been  assured  on  information  believed  trustworthy  that  the 
Schweinitzian  herbarium  confirmed  the  identity  of  the  species  before 
us,  in  the  first  edition  of  this  work  the  form  was  listed  as  P.  atrum 
Schw.  Meantime  in  the  herbarium  referred  to,  at  Philadelphia  the 
original  type  of  P.  atrum  still  exists.  My  valued  correspondent, 
Mr.  Hugo  Bilgram,  has  recently  given  it  careful  study.  It  is  a  lime- 
less  P.  didermoides  (Pers.)  R. !  Small  wonder  we  have  had  trouble! 
Exit  Physarum  atrum  Schw. 

The  species  is  not  uncommon,  especially  eastward ;  has  been  gen- 
erally ignored  for  reasons  cited. 

Distinguished  from  everything  else  by  the  color  and  small  size 
of  the  heaped  sporangia.  It  resembles  some  phase  of  P.  virescens 
where  the  sporangia  are  small  and  somewhat  heaped  or  rather  aggre- 


PHY  S  ARUM  65 

gated,  and  scantily  supplied  with  lime;  but  in  such  case  the  lime  is 
yellow  and  the  spores  are  small. 

This  species  has  also  been  constantly  referred  to  our  confused  P. 
cinereum,  P.  plumbeum,  etc.,  but  Schweinitz,  who  certainly  had  seen 
P.  cinereum  in  Europe,  since  he  cites  it,  under  several  forms,  in  the 
Conspectus,  found  the  species  in  America  and  proceeded  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  December  to  find  something  else,  very  different  as  he  thought, 
and  in  fact.  He  called  this  new  discovery  P.  atrum,  "beautifully 
reticulate" ,  he  says  "like  P.  cinereum  but  larger." 

Most  American  students  in  an  effort  to  keep  faith  with  their  pioneer 
mycologist,  have  taken  cue  from  the  specific  name,  looking  for  some- 
thing black,  heedless  that  in  Pennsylvania  almost  any  delicate  thing 
has  'dark  looks'  in  the  middle  of  the  winter!  Berlese  in  Saccardo 
Syll.  VII.,  p.  350,  regarding  P.  atrum  as  a  synonym,  writes  for  the 
black  American  specimens,  P.  reticulatum,  emphasizing  another 
Schweinitzian  descriptive  adjective.  But  P.  atrum  Schw.  has  had 
place  in  literature  to  this  hour. 

19,     Physarum  melleum   (Berk.  &'  Br.)  Mass. 

1873.  Dydymium  melleum  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  XIV.,  p.  83. 

1873.  Didymium  chrysopeplum  Berk.  &  C,   Grev.,  II.,  p.  53. 

1876.  Physarum  schumacheri  Spr.  van  melleum  Rost.,  Mon.,  A  pp.,  p.  7. 

1892.  Physarum   melleum  Massee,  Mon.,  p.   278. 

1896.  Cytidium  melleum   (Berk.  &  Br.),  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  83. 

1899.  Physarum  melleum   (Berk  &  Br.)   Mass.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  47. 

1911.  Physarum  melleum  Mass.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  46. 

Sporangia  scattered,  stipitate,  globose,  flattened  below,  clear  yellow 
or  honey  colored ;  stipe  short,  about  equaling  the  sporangium,  pure 
white,  somewhat  wrinkled ;  columella  small  but  distinct,  white ;  hypo- 
thallus  none,  capillitium  abundant,  open,  snow-white,  with  rather 
large  angularly  stellate  nodes;  spore-mass  brown,  almost  black;  spores 
by  transmitted  light,  pale  violet  or  lilac-tinted,  almost  smooth, 
7.5-10  /x. 

Easily  distinguished  by  its  white  stipe,  columella  and  capillitium  in 
contrast  with  yellow  peridial  walls.  N.  A.  F.,  1395.  Massee  refers 
this  number  erroneously  to  P.  schumacheri  Rost.     The  description 


66  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

and  specimen  do  not  correspond.  By  that  name  the  species  has 
however,  been  hitherto  known  in  the  United  States. 

Eastern  United  States,  common ;  rare  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Reported  from  Brazil,  Japan  and  the  tropic  islands  round  the 
world.     Portugal. 

20.  Physarum    citrinum  Schumacher. 

1803.     Physarum  citrinum  Schum.,  Enum.  PL  SaelL,  II.,  p.  201. 
1911.     Physarum  citrinum  Schum.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  51. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  globose,  somewhat  flattened  below, 
pale  yellow,  citrine,  stipitate;  the  peridium  thin,  covered  almost  com- 
pletely with  small  calcareous  scales ;  stipe  stout,  erect,  fragile,  tapering 
upwards,  furrowed,  opaque,  arising  from  a  small  hypothallus  which  is 
anon  continuous  from  one  sporangium  to  the  next;  columella  small, 
conical,  yellow ;  capillitium  a  rather  dense,  delicate  network,  the 
calcareous  nodules  yellow,  numerous,  roundish,  and  generally  small ; 
spore-mass  black;  spores  under  the  lens  violaceous,  almost  smooth, 
about  8  jLt. 

This  species  seems  to  be  rare  in  the  United  States.  It  resembles 
somewhat  P.  jnelleum,  from  which  it  is  distinguished  by  its  yellow 
stipe.  P.  galbeiitn  is  a  smaller  form,  and  lacks  the  columella.  Rosta- 
finski  strangely  confused  the  synonymy  here,  including  even  P. 
rufipes  Alb.  &  Schw. 

New  England,  Ohio,  Colorado. 

21.  Physarum  globuliferum  (Bull.)  Pers. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  globuliferus  Bull.,   Champ.,  PI.  484,  Fig.   3. 

1801.  Physarum  globuliferum  Pers.,  Syn.,  p.  175,  T.  III.,  Figs.  10,  11,  12. 

1829.  Diderma  globuliferum  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.   100. 

1876.  Physarum  peter  sii  farloivii  Rost.,  Mon.,  A  pp.,  p.  6. 

1879.  Physarum  albicans  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXX.,  p.  50. 

1893.  Physarum  columbinum  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  Io<wa,  II.,  384. 

1899.  Physarum  globuliferum   (Bull.)   Pers.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  45. 

1911.  Physarum  globuliferum  Pers.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  48. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  stipitate,  globose,  or  slightly  depressed  above, 
pale  blue-gray  or  pure  white ;  stipe  sometimes  equal  to  the  sporangium, 
generally  longer,  slender,  slightly  wrinkled,  white,  or  yellow,  pallid, 


PHYSARUM  67 

when  longer  tapering  upward ;  columella  white,  conical,  sometimes 
obsolete;  hypothallus  none;  capillitium  dense,  but  delicate,  persistent, 
a  close  network  of  hyaline  threads,  with  white  or  yellowish  nodes 
sparingly  thickened  and  calcareous,  many  without  lime;  spore-mass 
brown';  spores  by  transmitted  light,  violet,  minutely  warted,  7.5-9  fi. 
Plasmodium  greenish-yellow. 

This  species,  very  common  eastward,  rare  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
is  at  once  very  beautiful  and  very  variable.  Its  several  phases  have 
been  again  and  again  observed  and  described  too  often  by  distinct 
specific  or  varietal  names.  A  form  from  New  York,  with  long, 
white  stems  and  almost  pure  white  sporangia,  is  P.  albicans  Peck. 
Forms  occur  like  P.  albicans,  but  flushed  wih  rose  throughout.  From 
New  England,  specimens  sent  Rostafinski  were  by  him  deemed 
a  variety  of  P.  petersii  Berk.  &  C,  and  called  P.  petersii  var.  far- 
loiuii  Rost.  By  this  name  the  species  has  been  generally  distributed  in 
this  country.  N.  A.  F.,  1120.  Most  gatherings  of  this  species 
have  small,  somewhat  ochraceous,  sporangia,  and  pale  yellow,  or 
somewhat  rusty,  stipes.  These  latter,  with  somewhat  heavier  stem, 
represent  Physarum  simile  Rost.  A  form  collected  sparingly  in 
Iowa  has  short,  white  stipes  and  blue  gray  sporangia  one-third  larger 
than  observed  in  the  eastern  types.  This  was  recorded,  /.  c,  as  P. 
columbinum  Macbr. ;  name  already  in  use.  The  spores  in  the  Iowa 
specimens  are  also  a  little  larger,  8-10  fi.  Pale  cyanic  and  roseate 
forms  also  sometimes  occur  in  late  f ruitings ;  see  next  species. 

In  all  phases  the  persistent  tenacity  of  the  capillitium  is  a  striking 
characteristic  well  noticed  by  Fries  (/.  c,  p.  101)  :  "Peridia  a  gleba 
omnimo  libera,  dein  tota  diffracta,  evanescentia,  .  .  .  capillitio 
compacto  forma  servata  persistente."  The  peridium,  except  a  small 
part  below,  all  falls  away,  leaving  the  capillitium  apparently  intact; 
crowded  with  spores. 

From  England  to  Iowa ;  Canada,  south  to  Louisiana  and  Mexico ; 
apparently,  in  one  form  or  another,  cosmopolitan. 

22.     Physarum  lilacinum  Sturgis  ^  Bilgram. 
1917.     Physarum  lilacinum  Sturg.  &  Bilg.,  Mycologia,  Vol.  IX.,  p.  3. 
Sporangia   gregarious,    stalked,    globose,    erect,    pale-lilac    to   pale 


68  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Indian-red  in  color,  0.5  mm.  in  diameter;  sporangium-wall  membra- 
nous, beset  with  rounded  masses  of  lilac  or  reddish  lime.  Stipe  erect, 
broad-based,  tapering  upwards,  calcareous,  furrowed,  paler  than  the 
sporangium  or  concolorous,  0.7-0.9  mm.  long,  about  0.1  mm.  thick, 
columella  conical  or  columnar,  capillitium  delicate,  rigid,  persistent; 
lime-knots  small,  rounded,  composed  of  large,  pale  lilac,  or  reddish, 
spherical  granules.    Spores  pale-brown,  almost  smooth,  8-9  fi. 

23.  Physarum  murinum  Lister. 

1894.    Physarum  murinum  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  41. 

1899.    Physarum  ravenelii  (Berk.  &  C.)  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  48. 

1911.    Physarum  murinum  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  SO. 

Sporangia  scattered,  globose  or  perfectly  spherical,  ashy-brown, 
rugulose,  stipitate ;  stipe  elongate,  pale  brown,  erect,  generally  tapering 
upward,  calcareous,  brittle;  hypothallus  none;  columella  short,  hemi- 
spherical or  bluntly  conical ;  capillitium  dense,  much  as  in  P.  glob- 
uliferum,  the  calcareous  nodules,  umber,  brownish  or  orange-yellow, 
small ;  spore-mass  brown ;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  bright  lilac, 
almost  smooth,  7-9  /x. 

A  very  distinct  species,  easily  known  by  its  peculiar  drab-colored 
peridium  and  dull  brown  stalks.  The  author  of  the  species  allows  for 
the  capillitial  nodes  none  other  tint  but  brown.  Under  direct  illu- 
mination many  gatherings,  especially  where  the  sporangia  are  well 
blown  out,  show  nodules  of  a  bright  orange  tint. 

Not  rare  in  the  eastern  United  States,  to  Missouri  and  Iowa.  Re- 
ported also  from  western  Europe. 

Mr.  Lister  finds  Didymium  ravenelii  Berk.  &  C,  on  which  P. 
ravenelii  (Berk.  &  C.)  Macbr.  is  founded,  referable  to  P.  pulcher- 
ripes  Pk. 

24.  Physarum  pulcherrimum  Berk.  £ff  Rav. 

1873.  Physarum  pulcherrimum  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  65. 

1875.  Physarum  pulcherrimum    (Berk.  &  Rav.)   Rost.,  Man.,  p.  105. 

1879.  Physarum  atrorubrum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  40. 

1899.  Physarum  pulcherrimum  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  49. 

1911.  Physarum  pulcherrimum  Berk.  &  Rav.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed., 
p.  50. 


PHYSARUM  69 

Plasmodium  dark  red.  Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  globose, 
even,  or  somewhat  wrinkled,  dark  red,  stipitate ;  stipe  cylindric,  even, 
sub-concolorous  or  blackish ;  columella  small  or  none ;  capillitium 
free  from  spores,  whitish,  with  a  slight  pinkish  tinge;  spores  dark 
brown  in  mass,  dark  red  when  separated,  globose,  smooth,  7.5-8.5  /u,. 

The  capillitium  is  very  delicate,  and  when  cleared  of  spores  the 
knot-like  thickenings  are  seen  to  be  very  small  and  of  a  dark  red 
color,  to  which  is  probably  due  the  pinkish  tinge  which  marks  the 
whole.  A  part  only  of  the  thickenings  are  filled  with  lime  granules. 
The  dark  red  granules  of  the  sporangium  walls  are  abundant  and 
appear  to  form  a  continuous  crust. 

This  is  P.  atrorubrum  Peck,  and  his  description,  /.  c,  has  been 
closely  followed.  The  very  brief  description  in  Grevillea,  however, 
antedates  the  New  York  publication  and,  all  inadequate  as  it  is,  no 
doubt  applies  to  the  same  thing. 

Not  rare.     New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Iowa. 

25.     Physarum  pulcherripes  Peck. 

1805.  Physarum  aurantiacum  var.rufipes  Alb  &  Schw.,  Cok^^  Fa«^,,  p.  9+. 

1829.  Diderma  rufipes  (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.   101. 

1873.  Physarum  pulcherripes  Peck.,  Bull.  Buff.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  I.,  p.  64. 

1873.  Didymium   erythrinum   Berk.,   Gre<v.,  II.,   p.   52. 

1873.  Didymium  ravenelii  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  53. 

1873.  Physarum  petersii  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  66. 

1875.  Physarum  schumacheri  Spr.  var.  rufipes  Alb.&  Schw.,Rost.,Mon.,  p.  99. 

1894.  Physarum  pulcherripes  (Peck),  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  41. 

1896.  Cytidium  rufipes   {A\h.  Sc  Schvt.)  Morg.,  Jour.Cin.Soc.  Nat.Hist.,  p.  U. 

1899.  Physarum  rufipes   (Alb.  &  Schw.)    Morg.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.   50. 

1911.  Physarum  pulcherripes  Peck.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  49. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  dark-colored,  sprinkled  with  orange  flakes  of 
lime,  globose,  the  wall  thin,  deciduous,  stipitate ;  stipe  slender,  erect, 
deep  red,  sometimes  black  below,  pale  or  orange  above,  and  supported 
on  a  well-developed  hypothallus;  columella  scant  or  none;  capilli- 
tium dense,  the  meshes  and  nodes  unusually  small  and  delicate,  the 
latter  reddish  or  yellow ;  spore-mass  black;  spores  by  transmitted  light, 
violet-tinted,  8-10  ju.,  almost  smooth. 

The  striking  contrast  of  color  between  sporangia  and  stipes  renders 
this  species   at   sight,   quite   distinct   from   any    related    form.     The 


70  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

peridia  in  the  specimens  before  us  are  black  or  iridescent-black  sprin- 
kled more  or  less  profusely  with  orange  lime  granules  which  sometimes 
cover  all  but  the  base.  The  stipe,  springing  from  a  small  hypothallus, 
is  dark  red  below  for  about  one-fourth  its  height,  then  vermillion, 
above  expanding  slightly  beneath  the  peridium;  the  columella  scant 
or  none.  The  capillitium  is  an  elegant  delicate  net,  with  numerous 
small,  uniformly  regular,  calcareous  nodes,  orange ;  by  transmitted 
light,  yellow.  The  spores,  brown  in  mass,  are,  by  transmitted  light, 
pale  violet,  slightly  papillose,  8-10,  mostly  about  8  /t.  The  Plasmo- 
dium is  probably  yellow. 

This  species  is  no  doubt  related  to  P.  psittacinum.  It  is,  however, 
much  smaller,  has  a  calcareous  stipe,  and  a  much  less  variegated 
peridium,  and  generally  a  small  columella. 

It  is  also  akin  to  P.  globuliferurn  and  to  P.  tnurinum,  P.  petersii 
Berk.  &  C.  is  reported  the  same  thing. 

26.     Physarum  penetrale  Rex. 

Plate  XV.,  Figs.  6,  6  a. 

1891.     Physarum  penetrale  Rex.,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  389. 

1899.     Physarum  penetrate  Rex.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  55 

1911.     Physarum  penetrale  Rex.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.   36. 

Sporangia  scattered,  erect,  stipitate,  generally  ellipsoidal,  pyriform, 
rarely  globose ;  peridium  membranaceous  semi-transparent,  studded 
sparsely  with  rounded,  pale  yellow  or  yellow-gray  lime-granules, 
rupturing  to  the  base  into  two  or  four  segments;  stipe  variable, 
slender,  subulate,  rugulose,  flattened  laterally  toward  the  base,  trans- 
lucent, dull  red  or  golden  red  in  color;  columella  four-fifths  the 
height  of  the  sporangium,  concolorous  with  the  stipe,  acuminate; 
capillitium  dense,  persistent,  the  nodes  frequently  calcareous,  rounded, 
yellow ;  spore-mass  brown,  spores  nearly  smooth,  brownish,  6-7  fx. 

Readily  recognizable  by  the  elongate  sporangia  and  the  lengthened 
columella  unique  among  physarums.  The  capillitial  nodes  are  at 
first  pale  yellow,  but  tend  to  whiten  on  exposure.  The  spores  when 
highly  magnified  show  delicate  spinulescence. 

Maine,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Europe,  Java. 


PHY  S  A  RUM  71 

27.     Physarum  luteo-album  Lister 

1904.     Physarum  luteo-album  List.,  Jour.  Bat.,  XLIL,  p.  130. 
1911.    Physarum  luteo-album  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  48. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  subglobose,  large,  about  1  mm.  in  diameter, 
yellow  shading  into  white,  orange  or  olivaceous,  smooth  or  rugulose, 
stipitate;  stipe  stout,  smooth,  .5-1  mm.  high,  yellow  or  orange  above, 
white  below,  cylindric,  lime-stuffed;  columella  large,  subglobose  or 
clavate,  yellow ;  capillitium  either  of  very  slender  pale  yellow,  threads, 
branching  at  acute  angles  and  anastomosing  or  of  broad,  yellow  simple 
or  forked  strands,  persistent  after  spore-dispersal ;  nodules  few,  small, 
linear  or  fusiform;  spores  purple-brown,  spinulose,  10-12  fx. 

This  species,  originally  described  from  England  and  northern 
Europe  has  more  recently  been  identified  in  material  sent  by  Professor 
Sturgis  from  Colorado.  In  description  the  form  is  well  marked ; 
evinces  apparently  great  variation  alike  in  form,  color,  and  structure. 

The  material  we  have,  however,  is  poor,  badly  weathered. 

The  general  plan  of  structure  corresponds  very  well  with  Fries' 
idea  of  his  genus  Tilmadoche,  although  the  present  species  would 
seem,  by  very  grossness,  strangely  out  of  place  with  the  tilmadoches. 
But  the  singular,  didermoid,  evenly  branching,  threads  of  the  capilli- 
tium, bearing  their  slender  spindle-shaped  burdens  of  lime  are  very 
suggestive;  it  is  a  diderma  gone  wandering  into  the  camp  of  the 
physarums  if  one  may  judge  from  Miss  Lister's  graphic  plate. 

The  specific  name  selected  for  this  peculiar  form  has  once  before 
done  service,  but  apparently  for  something  quite  dissimilar.  Schu- 
macher, Enum.  PL  Saell.  II.,  p.  199,  has  P.  luteo-album.  Fries  thinks 
he  had  a  perichsna  on  hand ;  at  any  rate,  not  a  physarum,  and  makes 
Schumacher's  combination  a  synonym  for  Perichaena  quercina  Fr., 
which  Rostafinski  in  turn  makes  synonymous  with  P.  corticalis 
(Batsch)  R.  If  "once  a  synonym  always  a  synonym"  be  esteemed 
good  taxonomic  law,  this  species  must  one  day  have  another  name. 
The  present  author,  unwilling  to  change  his  colleague's  preference 
in  this  case,  nevertheless  begs  to  suggest  that  such  a  binomial  as  P. 
Itsteri  would  probably  at  once  make  future  history  of  the  species  less 
eventful,  and  honor  the  memory  of  England's  latest  and  most  dis- 
tinguished student  of  the  group  he  loved. 


72  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

28.  Physarum  nucleatum  Rex. 

1891.     Physarum  nucleatum  Rex.,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  389. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  spherical,  ^  mm.,  white,  stipitate;  peridial 
wall  membranaceous,  rupturing  irregularly,  thickly  studded  with 
rounded  white  lime-granules ;  stipe  about  1  mm.,  subulate,  yellowish- 
white,  rugose;  columella  none,  capillitium  dense,  snow-white,  with 
minute,  white,  round  or  rounded  nodes,  in  the  cientre  a  conspicuous 
mass  of  lime  forming  a  shining  ball,  not  part  of  the  stipe  although 
sometimes  produced  toward  it ;  spore-mass  black ;  spores  brown-violet, 
delicately  spinulose,  6-7  //,. 

This  species  most  nearly  resembles  in  appearance  and  habit  of 
growth  P.  globuliferum  Pers.,  but  may  be  distinguished  from  it  by 
the  absence  of  a  columella,  by  the  central  ball  of  lime,  and  the  very 
small  rounded  lime-granules  in  the  meshes  of  the  capillitium.  Ex- 
ceptionally the  lime  granules  of  the  sporangium  wall  are  sparse  or 
absent  entirely,  in  which  case  the  wall  has  a  silvery  or  coppery 
metallic  lustre. 

Pennsylvania,  Nicaragua. 

29.  Physarum  wingatense  nom.  nov. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  3,  and  9. 

1876.  Tilmadoche  columbina  (Berk.  &  C.)  Rost,  Mon.,  App.,  p.  13   (?). 

1889.  Tilmadoche  compacta  Wing.,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  p.  48. 

1894.  Physarum  compactum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  45. 

1896.  Physarum  compactum    (Wing.)   Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  91. 

1899.  Tilmadoche  compacta  Wing.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  61. 

1916.  Physarum  columbinum  (Rost.)   Sturg.,  Mycologia,  Vol.  VIII.,  p.  4. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  or  somewhat  crowded,  erect  or  cernuous, 
stipitate,  gray  or  brownish  gray,  globose;  peridium  thin,  metallic 
brown  or  bronze  in  color,  splitting  at  maturity  in  floriform  manner 
into  six  to  twelve  segments;  stipe  white  or  yellowish  white,  often 
shading  to  black  or  fuscous  below,  rather  long,  tapering  upward; 
hypothallus  none;  columella  none;  capillitium  extremely  delicate, 
white  or  colorless,  radiating  from  a  central  lime-mass  or  nucleus, 
and   with   ordinary   nodules   small   and    few,    fusiform;   spore-mass 


PHY  S  A  RUM  73 

brown ;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  violet-brown,  delicately  warted, 
7-8 /x. 

This  species  is  well  marked  by  several  characteristics;  the  brilliant 
wall  of  the  peridium,  white-flecked  and  laciniate,  the  delicate  Didym- 
ium-\\\it  capillitium  running  from  centre  to  peridium,  and  especially 
the  peculiar  aggregation  of  lime  at  the  center  of  the  sporangium, 
like  nothing  else  except  a  similar  structure  found  in  Physarum 
nucleatum  Rex.  The  variations  afifect  the  stipe  and  the  distribution 
of  the  capillitial  lime.  Some  eastern  specimens  show  stipes  melano- 
podous,  black  below;  specimens  from  Ohio  and  Nicaragua  show 
stipes  milk-white  throughout.  As  to  the  capillitium,  in  some  of  the 
Nicaragua  collections  the  lime  is  more  uniformly  distributed  through 
the  capillitium,  and  accordingly  the  nucleus  is  not  conspicuous,  its 
place  being  taken  by  two  or  three  nodes  plainly  larger  than  the 
others.  The  peculiar  brown  metallic  lustre  of  the  peridial  wall,  and 
the  strongly  developed  calcareous  patches  with  which  the  peridium  is 
covered  are  constant  features. 

That  this  is  the  Didymium  columbinum  Berk.,  or  T.  columbina 
(Berk.)  Rost.,  is  very  doubtful;  the  specific  name  given  by  Wingate 
becomes  inapplicable  when  the  series  is  transferred  to  Physarum, 
since  in  that  genus  the  combination  is  already  a  synonym.  See  P. 
compactutn  Ehrenberg,  Syl.  Myc.  Bed.,  p.  21  (1818),  cited  repeat- 
edly in  the  synonymy;  Fries,  op.  ctt..  Vol.  III.,  p.  101.  So  also  P. 
columbinum,  I.  c,  pp.  133,  135,  etc.,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fate  of 
Persoon's  first  record,  Obs.  Mycol.  pars  prim.,  p.  5,  1796  This  is 
Wingate's  species,  let  it  bear  his  name. 

30.     Physarum  newtoni  Macbr. 

Plate  XIV.,  Figs.  5,  5  a,  5  b. 

1893.     Physarum  neivtoni  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  Io<wa,  II.,  p.  390. 

1899.     Physarum  neivtoni  Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  37. 

1911.     Physarum  neivtoni  Macbr.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  54. 

Sporangia  simple,  gregarious,  short-stipitate  or  sessile,  globulose  or 
flattened,  when  not  globose,  depressed  and  deeply  umbilicate  above, 
purple,  smooth,  thin-walled,  stipe  when  present  very  short  and  con- 
colorous;  columella  none;  hypothallus  none;  capillitium  abundant, 


74  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

delicate,  with  more  or  less  well-developed  nodules,  which  are  also 
concolorous;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  dark  brown,  thick-walled, 
rough,  nucleated,  about  10  fi. 

A  very  handsome  little  species  collected  by  Professor  G.  W.  New- 
ton in  Colorado,  at  an  altitude  of  several  thousand  feet.  Easily 
recognized  by  its  almost  sessile,  rose  purple,  generally  umbilicate 
sporangium. 

31.  Physarum  psittacinum  Ditm. 

1817.  Physarum  psittacinum  Ditm.,  Sturm,  Deutsch.  Fl.  Pilze,  p.  125. 

1829.  Physarum  psittacinum  Ditm.,  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  134. 

1873.  Physarum   psittacinum    Ditm.,   Rost,   Mon.,   p.    104. 

1911.  Physarum  psittacinum  Ditm.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  55. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  globose  or  depressed-globose, 
or  reniform,  iridescent-blue,  mottled  with  various  tints,  red,  orange, 
yellow,  white,  stipitate;  stipe  equal,  or  tapering  slightly  upward, 
rugose,  orange  or  orange  red,  without  lime,  rising  from  a  small  con- 
colorous hypothallus ;  columella  none ;  capillitium  dense,  crowded 
with  calcareous,  brilliant  orange  nodules  which  are  angular  in  outline 
and  tend  to  aggregate  at  the  centre  of  the  sporangium;  spore-mass 
brown ;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  pale  brown,  slightly  but  plainly 
warted,  about  10  /a.     N.  A.  F.,  2492. 

Differs  from  P.  pulcherripes  Pk.  in  external  coloration,  the  perid- 
ium  a  rich  blue,  mottled  but  not  with  lime ;  in  the  capillitium,  dense, 
calcareous,  with  large  angular  or  branching  nodes;  in  the  stipe  with- 
out lime;  in  the  spores,  a  little  larger  than  in  P.  pulcherripes,  and 
by  transmitted  light  much  more  distinctly  brown  in  color.  The 
sporangia  are  also  broader  in  the  present  species,  reaching  1  mm. 

Rare.  Maine,  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania.  Re- 
ported common  in  Europe,  Ceylon,  Japan,  etc. 

32.  Physarum  discoidale  Macbr.  n.  s. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  3  and  3  a. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  discoidal,  depressed  or  umbilicate 
above,  sometimes  almost  annulate,  snow-white,  small,  .5-.7  mm., 
stipitate;  stipe  about  twice  the  sporangium,  pale  yellow,  strand-like. 


PHYSARUM  75 

but  erect,  even;  hypothallus  none;  columella  none;  capillitium 
strongly  calcareous,  almost  as  in  Badhamia,  aggregate  at  the  center, 
and  forming  a  pseudo-columella  at  the  base  of  the  peridium;  peridial 
wall  firm,  covered  with  innate  patches  of  lime,  somewhat  yellow  at 
the  base ;  spores  minutely  spinulose,  violaceous,  7-9  /a. 

This  little  species  reaches  us  from  California.  It  appears  in  late 
winter  in  undisturbed  grass  tufts  and  the  sporangia  are  scattered  over 
the  lower  leaves.  It  displays  a  remarkable  amount  of  lime.  The 
nodules,  however,  are  not  large;  they  are  rounded  and  connected 
here  and  there  by  the  ordinary  retal  tubules  characteristic  of  a  phy- 
sarum. 

Z3.      PhYSARUM    LEUCOPHi^UM   Fr. 

1818.    Physarum  leucophaeum  Fr.,  Symb.   Gast.,  p.  24. 
1875.     Physarum  leucophaeum  Fr.,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  113,  Figs.  77,  78. 
1899.    Physarum  leucophaeum  Fr.  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  21. 
1911.    Physarum  nutans  Pers.,  subspecies  leucophaeum   (Fr.)  Lister,  Mycet., 
2nd  ed.,  p.  67. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  stipitate;  the  peridium  globose 
or  sub-depressed,  plano-convex,  but  never  umbilicate  below,  erect, 
bluish-ashen ;  the  stipe  short,  rugose,  sub-sulcate,  fuscous,  brown,  or 
sometimes  almost  white,  even  or  slightly  attenuate  upward  from  a 
thickened  base  or  sometimes  from  an  indistinct  hypothallus;  capilli- 
tium dense,  intricate;  the  nodules  white,  with  comparatively  little 
lime,  thin,  expanded,  angular  or  branching;  columella  none;  spore- 
mass  black,  spores  violaceous,  minutely  roughened,  about  8-10  /a. 

This  extremely  delicate  and  beautiful  form  is  certainly  not  to  be 
referred  to  Tilmadoche  alba  (Bull.)  Fr.  Fries,  who  seems  to  have 
known  of  P.  cotnpressum  A.  &  S.  and  refers  it  to  P.  nutans  Pers., 
op.  cit.,  p.  130,  annotates  the  present  species:  "Species  especially  re- 
markable in  the  stipe,  in  the  internal  structure,  and  in  its  whole  habit, 
nor  is  there  any  other  with  which  it  may  be  compared.  ,  Perid- 
ium thin,  not  uniform,  presently  breaking  up  into  laciniate  scales;  at 
first  yellow,  then  bluish-ashen ;  when  empty,  white.  The  form  in- 
constant, globose,  depressed,  but  never  umbilicate  at  the  base."  If 
we  may  judge  by  what  Fries  says  on  the  subject,  he  certainly  distin- 
guished  clearly  between   this   species   and    T.  alba    (Bull.),    to  say 


76  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

nothing  of  the  stouter,  larger,  in  every  way  coarser  forms  called  by 
Rostafinski  P.  nefroideum,  P.  compressum,  P.  lividum,  etc. 

The  shadowy  little  species  has  had  an  eventful  history,  dipping  in 
and  out  of  our  story  in  most  uncertain  fashion.  Beginning  with 
Fries,  as  noted,  it  received  confirmation  at  the  hands  of  DeBary, 
and  by  Rostafinski  was  given  priority  over  a  long  list  of  synonyms, 
and  figured.  The  earlier  English  authors  follow  Rostafinski,  but 
for  Lister  in  the  Mycetozoa,  p.  51,  the  species  becomes  a  synonym  of 
T.  alba  as  P.  nutans,  the  description  appropriately  enlarged  to  receive 
it.  Meantime  American  students  generally  confused  it  with  the 
tilmadoches  on  the  one  hand  and  P.  nefroideum  R.  (supposed)  on  the 
other.  In  1897,  Robt.  Fries  in  Sver.  Myxom.  Flora,  brings  the 
species  again  to  view  as  co-partner  with  P.  nutans  and  in  the  Mycet- 
ozoa, 2nd  ed.,  p.  67,  it  appears  as  sub-species  to  the  same. 

The  resemblance  to  P.  album  or  P.  nutans,  is  chiefly  as  intimated, 
a  matter  of  definition ;  real  differences  are  found  in  the  irregular  cap- 
illitium,  fitting  a  globose  sporange,  in  the  character  of  the  stipe  and 
the  consequent  pose.     See  under  P.  nutans  and  P.  notabile. 

34.     Physarum  nodulosum  Cke.  ^  Balf. 

1881.  Physarum  nodulosum  Cke.  &  Balf.,  Ra<v.  N.  A.  F.,  Exsic,  479. 

1889.  Badhamia  nodulosa  Massee,  Jour.  Myc,  Vol.  V.,  p.  186. 

1891.  Physarum  calidris  Lister,  Jour.  Bot.,  Vol.  XXIX.,  p.  258. 

1896.  Crater'tum  nodulosum  (Cke.  &  Balf.)   Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  87. 

1899.  Physarum  nodulosum  Cke.  &  Balf.,  Macbr.,  A^,  A.  S.,  p.  51. 

1911.  Physarum  pusillum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  64. 

Sporangia  gregarious ;  minute,  globose,  bluish-white,  the  sporangia! 
wall  thin  and  more  or  less  encrusted  with  lime,  breaking  up  ir- 
regularly, stipitate ;  stipe  slender,  longer  than  the  sporangium,  attenu- 
ate upward  or  even,  bright  brown,  rugose,  expanded  above  into  a 
shallow  cup-like  base  for  the  sporangium ;  columella  none ;  capillitium 
with  lime-knots  more  or  less  abundant,  white,  often  uniting,  bad- 
hamioid;  spore-mass  black;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  pale  lilac- 
brown,  almost  smooth,  10-12  ju. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa;  Canada. 

One  of  the  smallest  species  of  the  genus,  by  its  proportionally  long 
stipe  and  small  round  sporangium  reminding  one  somewhat  of  P. 


PHYSARUM  77 

globuliferum;  much  smaller,  however,  and  in  every  way  different. 
The  generic  characters  are  mixed,  and  the  species  has  been  accordingly 
variously  referred.  The  lower  part  of  the  peridium  is  sometimes 
persistent  after  the  dehiscence,  and  so  far  reminds  of  Craterium.  But 
this  character  is  not  constant,  and  even  at  best  the  persisting  part  is 
very  small,  not  greater  than  in  P.  melleum,  for  example.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  capillitium  in  some  sporangia  is  strongly  calcareous, 
reminds  of  Badhainia,  but  in  most  sporangia  the  Physarum  characters 
are  sufficiently  clear. 

In  the  Kew  Herbarium,  it  is  said,  are  two  American  specimens 
under  one  label,  "Didymium  pusillum."  One  specimen  is  a  didymium 
indeed,  but,  as  it  appears,  D.  proximum  Berk.,  already  described. 
The  other  is  a  physarum.  It  is  proposed  in  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  to 
use  the  combination  thus  set  free,  as  if  applied  by  the  original  author 
to  the  second  specimen,  not  didymium,  and  to  make  the  new  combina- 
tion date  from  1873  and  so  take  precedence  of  the  binomial  applied  in 
1881  by  Cooke  and  Balfour  here  retained  by  the  law  of  priority. 

35.  Physarum  maculatum  Macbr. 

Plate  XIV.,  Figs.  6,  6  a,  6  b. 

1893.    Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  loiva,  II.,  p.  383. 

1899.     Physarum  maculatum  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  47. 

1911.    Physarum  tenerum  Rex.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  52,  in  part. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  very  small,  .3-.4  mm.,  dull  gray, 
thin-walled,  dotted  with  minute,  white  calcareous  granules,  stipitate; 
stipe  long,  about  2  mm.,  stout,  attenuated  upward,  striate  longitu- 
dinally or  wrinkled,  filled  with  irregular  yellow  masses  of  lime  and 
accordingly  bright  yellow  in  color ;  columella  none ;  capillitium  form- 
ing a  dense  net,  with  comparatively  small  yellow  nodular  thicken- 
ings; spores  globose,  purplish,  each  minutely  papillose  and  displaying 
several  scattered  spots  occasioned  by  local  development  of  the  papillae ; 
diameter  of  the  spores  9-10  fx. 

This  species  was  set  up  for  the  reception  of  certain  material  col- 
lected by  Professor  Shimek,  in  1892,  in  Nicaragua.  It  remains  so  far 
unique.  The  small  globose  sporangium  mounted  upon  a  long  up- 
wardly tapering  stipe,  .5  mm.  thick  below,  but  narrowed  at  the  ex- 


78  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

treme  base  where  it  is  lightly  attached,  a  stem  which  is  simply  a  sack 
stuffed  with  yellow  lime-granules;  — this  and  the  yellow  capillitium 
are  distinguishing  features.  The  capillitium  and  spores  suggest  Til- 
madoche  viride,  but  the  entire  habit  precludes  such  reference.  Perhaps 
nearest  to  P.  melleum. 

Castillo,   Nicaragua. 

Miss  Lister  thinks  this  the  same  as  P.  tenerum  Rex.  But  the  whole 
habit  and  external  appearance  are  different ;  the  stipe  notably  long, 
clumsy,  surcharged  with  lime;  a  very  singular  form. 

36.     Physarum  didermoides  (Pers.)  Rost. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  1,  1  a,  1  ^,  1  c. 

1801.  Spumaria   (?)   didermoides  Acharius,  Pers.,  Syn.  Fung.,  p.  xxix. 

1829.  Diderma  oblongum  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  103. 

1831.  Spumaria  licheniformis  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  p.  261,  No.  2364. 

1832.  Physarum  atrum  Schw.,  Syn.  Fung.,  Am.  Bor.,  p.  258. 
1875.  Physarum  lividum,  Schw.,  Rostafinski,  Mon.,  p.  96. 
1875.  Physarum   didermoides    (Ach.)    Rost.,  Man.,  p.   97. 

Plasmodium  pale,  watery-white  or  gray;  sporangia  crowded,  ovoid 
or  cylindric,  stipitate  or  sessile,  blue-gray,  often  capped  with  white; 
stipe  variable  in  length  and  structure,  where  well  developed  pure 
white,  often  flattened,  expanded  and  diaphanous,  connate  with  others 
through  the  irregular  reticulate  or  sheet-like  hyphothallus ;  columella 
none;  capillitium  ample,  the  lime  knots  angular  or  rounded,  white 
connected  by  hyaline  threads;  spores  in  mass  black,  by  transmitted 
light  dark  violet,  decidedly  spinulose,   12-15  fi. 

A  very  variable  species  in  many  particulars.  The  sporangia  in  the 
same  cluster  are  stipitate  and  sessile,  ovoid  and  spherical.  Our  de- 
scription does  not  quite  agree  with  that  of  Rostafinski.  As  may  be 
seen  from  the  plate,  it  is  the  outer  peridium  that  is  with  us  white, 
burdened  with  lime,  the  inner  is  simpler  and  comparatively  thin. 
The  whiteness  of  the  outer  peridium  is  however,  easily  displaced. 
The  colony  may  not  show  it  at  all,  in  which  case  the  peridia  remain- 
ing give  to  the  fructification  entire  a  pale  lead  color,  very  character- 
istic. The  disposition  of  the  lime  in  the  capillitium  is  also  notably 
variable.  Specimens  occur  which  in  so  far  realize  Rostafinski's  Cra- 
teriachea;  that  is,  the  lime  is  massed  as  a  snow-white  pseudo-columella 


PHY  S  A  RUM  79 

in  the  centre  of  each  sporangium.  In  such  cases  the  lime  of  the  outer 
peridium  is  scant  or  limited  in  amount,  never  forming  the  calcareous 
cap  shown  in  Fig.  1.  The  size  of  the  spores  is  also  variable.  Rosta- 
finski  gives  12.5-14.2  /x;  not  infrequently  a  single  spore  reaches  16  /x, 
a  very  unusual  range  of  variation. 

The  species  is  not  common  in  the  upper  Mississippi  valley,  but 
can  be  obtained  in  quantity  where  once  it  appears,  as  the  plasmodia 
are  profuse. 

Ohio,  Carolinas,  Tennessee,  Iowa,  South  Dakota,  Kansas.  Es- 
pecially to  be  looked  for  on  the  bark  of  fallen  stems  of  Populus  and 
Negundo. 

Brazil,  India,  Japan. 

Physarum  lividum  Rost.,  Alon.,  p.  95,  is  but  a  less  calcareous  form 
of  this,  as  is  evident  even  by  the  author's  description.  Professor 
Morgan  thought  P.  lividum  a  phase  of  P.  griseum  Lk.  Link,  how- 
ever, reckons  P.  griseum  the  same  as  P.  cinereurii.  Link,  Diss.,  I., 
p.  27. 

Physarum  leucopus  Link. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  7,7  a,  7  b. 
1809.    Physarum  leucopus  Link,  Diss.,  I,  p.  27. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  stipitate,  globose  snow-white,  with  a  didym- 
ium  like  covering  of  calcareous  particles ;  stipe  white,  not  long,  conical 
or  tapering  rapidly  upward,  slightly  sulcate,  brittle,  from  an  evanes- 
cent hypothallus ;  columella  none  or  small;  capillitium,  consisting  of 
rather  long  hyaline  threads,  connecting  the  usual  calcareous  nodes, 
which  are  large,  angular,  snow-whitei;  spore-mass  black;  spores  by 
transmitted  light,  violet-brown,  distinctly  warted,  about  10  /t. 

The  snow-white,  nearly  smooth  stem,  the  small  sporangium  {yi 
mm.)  covered  with  loose  calcareous  granules,  distinguish  this  rare 
species.  It  looks  like  a  small  Didymium  squamulosum.  Fries  called 
it  D.  leucopus,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  121. 

Rare.     Iowa,  Ohio  Maine;  Portugal. 


80  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

38.  Physarum  compressum  Jib.  ^  Schw. 

Plate  XVIIL,  Fig.  14,  and  Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  12  and  Fig.  4. 

1805.  Physarum  compressum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Fung.  Lus.,  p.  97. 

1875.  Physarum  nefroideum  Rost,  Mon.,  p,  93,  in  part. 

1875.  Physarum  affine  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  94. 

1909.  Physarum  compressum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Torrend,  Fl.  des  Myx.,  p.  197. 

1911.  Physarum  compressum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  70. 

Sporangia  more  or  less  scattered,  compressed-^dbost,  or  compressed- 
reniform,  i.  e.  often  umbilicate,  stipitate,  sessile,  or  elongate  as  if 
plasmodiocarpous,  calcareous,  white  or  ashen ;  peridium  thin,  covered 
with  squamules,  opening  irregularly,  usually  by  apical  cleft;  stipe, 
when  present,  short,  stout,  more  or  less  sulcate,  dark  brown  or  ashen ; 
capillitium  a  rather  loose  net,  the  nodules  white,  variable  in  size  and 
shape;  spores  purplish-brown,  delicately  roughened,  about  10-12.5  /x. 

P.  affine  R.  was  in  this  connection  set  up  for  European  types  com- 
pressed indeed,  but  more  strongly  reniform.  The  author  says  in  his 
further  description  that  the  form  affine  is  less  definitely  umbilicate, 
has  white  stems,  etc. ;  allantoid,  one  would  now  say.  Such  forms 
now  begin  to  appear  in  America;  and  if  for  these  a  specific  name  is 
needed,  it  is  provided,  P.  affie  Rost.,  Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  4. 

This  seems  to  be  a  cosmopolitan  species,  now  that  we  have  found 
it.  However,  in  North  America  it  is  rare.  It  is  reported  from  Penn- 
sylvania, from  Colorado;  Harkness  found  it  in  California,  and  the 
writer  has  often  collected  it  in  Oregon,  on  Mt.  Rainier,  Washington, 
and  in  California.     Europe. 

39.  Physarum  notabile  nom.  nov. 

Plate  IX.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2b;  Plate  XV.,  Fig.  2 ;  and  Frontispiece. 

1873.     Didymium  connatum  Peck,  Rrp.  N.   Y.  Mus.,  XXVI.,  p.  74. 
1879.     Physarum    polymorphum    (Mont.)    Rost.,    Peck,    Rep.    N.    Y.    Mus., 
XXXI.,  p.  55. 

1893.     Physarum  leucophaeum  Fr.,  Ellis,  A^.  A.  F.,  No.  2396,  second  exhibit. 

1893.  Physarum  leucophaeum  Fries,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  loiva, 
II.,  p.  156. 

1894.  Physarum  compressum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  53,  in  part. 
1896.     Physarum  connexum  Link.,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  92,  in  part. 
1896.     Physarum  confluens  Pers.,  Morg.,  /.  c,  p.  94. 

1899.     Physarum  nefroideum  Rost.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  41,  in  part. 
1911.    Physarum  connatum  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  71. 


PHY  S  ARUM  81 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sessile,  stipitate,  or  even  plasmodiocarpous ; 
when  stipitate,  depressed,  varying  at  times  to  irregular  reniform  in  the 
same  colony;  globose,  the  peridium  strongly  calcareous,  cinereous- 
white;  stipe  variable,  generally  tapering  upward,  always  distinctly 
deeply  plicate-furrowed  throughout,  in  color  dark,  opaque,  sometimes 
touched  with  white  or  gray;  capillitium  abundant,  the  white  lime- 
knots,  varying  in  size  and  shape,  connected  by  rather  long  hyaline 
threads,  with  here  and  there  an  empty  node;  spore-mass  black,  by 
transmitted  light,  dark,  sooty  brown,  minutely  papillose,  10-11.5  ju,. 

This  remarkable  species,  while  not  at  all  difficult  of  recognition 
to  one  familiar  with  its  phases,  is  withal  very  difficult  to  define. 
Normally  stipitate,  it  often  shows  from  the  same  Plasmodium  all  sorts 
of  forms,  the  shape  of  the  fructification  dependent  apparently  upon 
external  conditions  prevalent  at  the  time.  The  amount  of  calcium 
also  varies,  especially  in  the  capillitium,  where  there  is  usually  much, 
with  a  tendency  to  the  formation  of  something  like  a  pseudo-colu- 
mella;  the  outer  net  in  such  cases  nearly  destitute.  The  calcium  in 
the  stipe  also  varies;  the  black  or  brown  stipes  are,  of  course,  free 
from  it;  the  gray  or  white,  calcareous. 

In  this  large  and  difficult  genus,  since  spore-color  is  receiving  in- 
creased consideration,  —  see  No.  3 1  preceding,  —  it  is  proper  to  note 
that  in  the  present  case  two  types  appear,  one  with  spore-color  under 
the  lens,  as  described,  the  other  with  spores  violaceous  with  no  trace  of 
black;  unshadowed. 

The  preceding  description  is  based  on  material  assembled  during 
forty  years.  The  form  is  easily  discoverable  by  any  collector  through- 
out the  entire  valley  of  the  Mississippi  and  eastward  to  Nova  Scotia. 
For  its  naming,  students  in  America  have  vainly  waited  the  decision 
of  those  having  access  to  mycologic  types  in  Europe.  It  seems  now 
certain  that  the  species  is  extremely  rare  in  the  old  world  if  there 
occurrent ;  never  seen  by  any  of  the  earlier  taxonomists  including  Fries 
and  Rostafinski;  perhaps  adventitious  in  these  later  years,  although 
thus  far  no  specimen  from  Europe  has  reached  this  table, ^  P.  nef- 
roideum  of  Strasburg  herbarium  turns  out,  after  all,  teste  Lister,  to 
be  P.  compressutn  Alb.  &  Schw.,  which  accordingly  shall  now  enjoy 

^  See  also,  after  all  our  trouble,  Jour.  Boi.,  LVIL,  p.  106. 


82  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

state  and  station  of  its  own ;  our  cwicern  in  European  nomenclature, 
in  the  present  instance,  almost  disappears,  and  we  return  to  our 
synonymy  from  this  side  of  the  sea. 

Mr.  Lister  would  recur  to  Dr.  Peck's  Didymium  connatum,  which 
indeed  represents  the  present  species.  In  such  disposition,  how  gladly 
would  all  concur,  were  the  thing  possible !  But  Physarum  connatum 
is  already  a  synonym  twice  over.^  Unless  we  are  done  with  the  rules 
entirely,  P.  connatum  cannot  stand.  P.  polymorphum  and  P.  leu- 
cophaeum  are  names  already  in  use,  of  course ;  and  so  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, much  as  it  is  to  be  regretted,  there  would  seem  nothing 
left  to  do  but  to  cancel  all  past  synonymy  and  impose  a  new  name 
whose  permanence  may  at  least  be  hoped  for,  if  not  expected. 

40.     Physarum  tropicale  Macbr. 
1899.     Physarum  tropicale  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  45. 
Plate  XV.,  Figs.  4,  4  a,  4  h. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  turbinate,  short  stipitate,  blue-gray, 
about  1  mm.  in  diameter;  peridium  above  iridescent,  green,  blue,  etc., 
dotted  with  minute  flecks  of  white,  below  lime-less,  purple  or  bronze 
shading  to  the  brown  of  the  stipe;  stipe  short,  stout,  slightly  rugose, 
cylindric,  non-calcareous,  brown ;  columella  none ;  hypothallus  none ; 
capillitium  abundant,  the  nodes  generally  calcareous,  small,  uniform, 
angular,  white,  uniformly  distributed ;  spore-mass,  black ;  spores  dark 
violet-brown,  distinctly  and  closely  warted,  12-15  ix. 

A  large  handsome  species  recognizable  by  the  peculiar  turbinate 
sporangium,  with  its  iridescent  peridial  wall  in  which  green  strongly 
predominates  above,  bronze  below.  The  distinction  between  the 
upper  and  lower  peridium  w^ould  suggest  Craterium,  but  the  internal 
structure  is  not  at  all  Craterium-like.  The  capillitium  is  typically  of 
Physarum.  The  color  suggests  P.  leucophaeum  violascens  Rost. 
From  this  species  it  is  at  once  distinguished  by  its  much  longer  spo- 
rangia, larger  and  rougher  spores. 

Mexico ;  C.  L.  Smith :  Sure  to  be  again  collected  once  that  un- 
happy country  shall  again  open  its  forests  to  research. 

1  See  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  Vol.  III.,  pp.  130,  137,  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  127,  and  Rep. 
N.  Y.  State  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  55. 


PHYSARUM  83 

41.     Physarum    nicaraguense   Macbr. 

Plate  XV.,  Figs.  7,7  a,  7  b;  XVIL,  11  and  11  a. 

1893.  Physarum   nicaraguense   Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  lovia,  II.,  p.  383. 

1894.  Physarum  compressum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  53,  in  part. 

1910.  Physarum  nicaraguense  Macbr.,  Fetch,  Mycetozoa  Ceylon,  p.  334. 

1911.  Physarum  reniforme  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  72,  in  part. 

Sporangia  multilobate  or  compound-contorted,  below  obconic, 
gray,  ribbed  with  calcareous  thickenings;  stem  short,  fuscous,  longi- 
tudinally wrinkled;  hypothallus  distinct,  black;  columella  none,  al- 
though the  lime  massed  at  the  centre  of  each  sporangium  simulates 
one ;  capillitium  white,  densely  calcareous,  with  heavy  angular  nodules 
connected  with  comparatively  short  threads;  spores  violet,  globose, 
spinulose,  about  12  jn  in  diameter. 

Ometepe,  Nicaragua.     Professor  B.  Shimek. 

This  species  resembles  in  some  particulars  No.  39,  especially  in  the 
amount  of  lime  present  in  both  capillitium  and  peridium,  in  the 
fluted,  sooty  stipe,  and  the  rough  spores.  Mr.  Lister  once  regarded 
it  as  the  same.  Nevertheless,  it  differs  from  P.  notabile  in  many 
definite  particulars.  In  the  first  place,  the  sporangia  are  different 
in  form  and  habit.  They  are  obconic,  nearly  always  compound,  con- 
volute, or  botryoid,  in  this  respect  somewhat  resembling  P.  poly- 
cephalum.  Besides,  the  sporangia  are  uniformly  much  smaller,  and 
show  constantly  the  strongly  calcified  centre,  much  transcending  any- 
thing seen  in  P.  notabile.  The  stipe  also  is  peculiar,  quite  short,  an 
upward  extension  or  sweep  of  the  common  hypothallus  which  is 
usually  very  distinct  or  prominent;  and,  while  the  stipe  is  longitu- 
dinally wrinkled,  it  is  much  less  so  than  in  the  related  species,  and  in 
a  different  way.  The  spores  are  about  the  same  in  size,  but  differ  in 
color,  in  this  respect  agreeing  rather  with  P.  leucophaeum. 

In  the  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  I.  c,  the  present  species  is  entered  as  a 
synonym  of  two  described  by  Massee:  Tibnadoche  reniforrnis  Mass., 
Mon.,  p.  336,  and  Didymium  echinosporum  Mass.,  Mon.  239.  But 
Massee's  description  of  his  tilmadoche  is,  naturally  enough,  at  vari- 
ance in  every  important  point  with  the  facts  in  the  species  before  us. 
Massee  says :  ".  .  .  .  sporangia  deeply  umbilicate  below,  sau- 
sage-shaped and  curved ;  the  stem  elongated  slender  erect,  pale  brown ; 


84  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

capillitial  nodes  scattered,  fusiform,  colorless  or  yellow;  spores  16- 
17  /x.  It  is  evident  that  whatever  Alassee  may  have  had  in  hand  as  he 
wrote  it  was  not  P.  nicaraguense,  which  has  spores  10—12  and  re- 
verses the  remaining  description. 

But  Didymium  echinosporum  also  defines  T.  reniformis  since 
Lister,  Mon.,  p.  54,  says  they  are  based  on  two  gatherings  of  one  spe- 
cies. Of  this  second  species  Massee  says:  "A  superficial  resemblancd 
to  T.  nutans,  but  distinct  in  the  capillitium  which  contains  no  trace 
of  lime;  spores  12-14  /u,!"  Again  it  is  evident  that  whatever  Massee 
had  in  hand  when  he  wrote,  it  was  not  P.  nicaraguense  which  "has 
capillitium  almost  Badhamia-like,"  i.  e.,  burdened  with  lime! 

Worse  than  all;  Mr.  Massee's  alleged  types  are  in  evidence;  one 
labelled  P.  reniforme'^  includes  forms  of  P.  didermoides  and  of  P. 
nicaraguense ;  the  other  labelled  by  Berkeley  P.  nutans  is  P.  nicara- 
guense. So  Mr.  T.  Fetch,  Mycet.  Ceyl.,  who  enters  our  species  as 
from  Ceylon,  and  the  names  cited  from  Berkeley,  Massee,  and  oth- 
ers, as  synonyms.  He  remarks,  "Probably  Thwaites'  135  and  55 
were  mixed  during  examination" !  Doubtless !  and  some  other  things 
too!  What  Massee  did  have  beneath  his  lens,  no  one  now  may  say 
but  apparently  not  in  either  case  cited,  the  physarum  of  Central 
America. 

42.     Physarum  sulphureum  Alb.  &  ScJiw. 

1805,  Physarum  sulphureum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Consp.  Fung.,  p.  93,  Tab.  VI, 
f.  1. 

1818.  Physarum  flavum  Fries,  Symh.  Gast.,  p.  22. 

1875.  Physarum  sulphureum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  101. ^ 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sub-globose,  rugulose-squamulose,  .6-.8  mm., 
sulphur-yellow,  stipitate;  peridium  membranous,  covered  with  calca- 
reous scales;  stipe  stout,  white,  charged  with  lime,  furrowed;  colu- 
mella none ;  capillitium  strongly  calcareous,  the  nodules  large,  white ; 
spores  violaceous,  rough,  9-1 1  n. 

Northern  Europe.      (Lusatia)    Lausitz,  Alb.  &  Schw.;  dim  old 

1  It  would  seem  that  M,  Massee  would  have  written  T.  reniformis,  were 
this  authentic. 

-  For  further  synonymy,  see  under  P.  auriscalpium.  No.  49. 


PHY  S  A  RUM  85 

Wendish  region  on  the  south  borders  of  Brandenburg.     Reported 
also  from  Sweden. 

The  description  and  figure  given  by  Schvveinitz,  1805,  /.  c, 
leave  no  doubt  as  to  what  he  had  in  hand.  Twenty  or  thirty  years 
later,  having  spent  the  interval  in  this  country, — bishop,  indeed,  of 
the  Moravian  churches,  but  a  student  of  fungi  all  the  while, — he 
reports  the  same  thing  from  this  country;  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.  Scu, 
1834.  Cooke  also  lists  it  in  Myxomycetes  of  the  U.  S.  It  surely 
will  be  found  again.  Mr.  Lister  thinks  P.  variable  Rex  may  be  the 
same  thing. 

43.  Physarum  carneum  G.  Lister  and  Sturgis. 

1910.  Physarum  carneum  G.  Lister  and  Sturgis,  Jour.  Bot.,  Vol.  XLVIII, 
p.  63. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  stipitate,  subglobose,  .5  mm.  in  diameter, 
ochraceous-yellow  above,  flesh-colored  below;  peridium  membranous, 
pale  yellow,  lime-granules  evenly  distributed ;  stipe  short,  translucent, 
pinkish  flesh-colored;  capillitium  dense,  nodules  white;  spores  pur- 
plish-brown, spinulose,  8  /x. 

Differs  from  P.  citrinellum  in  the  membranous  peridium,  flesh- 
colored  stalks  and  smaller  spores. 

Colorado;  Dr.  W.  C.  Sturgis. 

44.  Physarum  citrinellum  Peck. 

1831.  Physarum  caespitosum  Schw.,  Syn.  N.  A.  P.,  No.  2301  (?). 

1869.  Diderma  citrinum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXII.,  p.  89. 

1870.  Physarum  citrinellum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  55. 
1894.  Craterium  citrinellum  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  74. 

1899.     Physarum  caespitosum  Schw.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  37. 

1911.  Physarum  citrinellum  Peck,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  62. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  or  scattered  globose,  short-stipitate,  pale 
yellow  or  ochraceous,  smooth  or  slightly  roughened  by  the  presence 
of  minute  lime-particles;  peridium  more  or  less  distinctly  double,  the 
outer  calcareous,  fragile,  the  inner  very  delicate,  with  here  and  there 
a  calcareous  thickening,  ruptured  irregularly;  stipe  very  short,  half 
the  sporangium,  fuliginous,  furrowed,  expanded  below  into  an  im- 


86  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

perfectly  defined  hypothallus ;  capilHtium  abundant,  the  nodes  stellate- 
angular,  large,  the  internodes  delicate,  short ;  spore-mass  black,  spores 
violaceous-brown  by  transmitted  light,  strongly  spinulose,  10-12.5  fi. 

A  very  distinct  and  handsome  species.  Easily  recognizable  at  sight 
by  its  large,  globose,  almost  sessile  and  yet  distinctly  stalked  sporan- 
gia. The  color  to  the  naked  eye  is  pale  ochraceous  or  buff.  Only 
under  a  moderate  magnification  do  the  citrine  tints  come  out. 

In  the  Twenty-second  N.  Y.  Report,  Dr.  Peck  incorrectly  re- 
ferred this  species  to  Physarum  citrinum  Schum.  On  the  appearance 
of  Rostafinski's  Monograph,  Dr.  Peck  in  his  revised  list,  /.  c,  writes 
P.  citrinellurn  Peck,  with  description  on  p.  57,  following.  Under 
the  last  name  the  species  has  been  generally  recognized  in  the  United 
States  and  distributed.    N.  A.  F.,  2490. 

In  the  former  edition,  this  species  was  referred  to  P.  caespitosum 
Schw.,  of  which  the  original  description  is  as  follows:  "P.  caespitosum 
L.  V.  S.,  pulcherrimum.  In  foliis  et  stipitibus  Rhododendri,  Bethle- 
hem. Physarum  substipitatum  aut  saltem  basi  attenuata,  caespitosim 
crescens  et  sparsim.  Caespitulis  3  linearibus;  peridiis  stipatis,  turbi- 
natis,  ovatis,  basi  contracta  membranula  exterori  luteosquamulosa  aut 
punctato-squarrulosa.  Sporidiis  nigro-brunneis,  floccis  citrinis  insper- 
sis."    Synopsis  N.  A.  Fungi,  2301. 

The  type  from  the  Schweinitz  herbarium  is  no  longer  in  evidence. 
Without  it,  the  reference  cannot  be  sustained. 

Not  uncommon  in  the  eastern  United  States;  reported  also  from 
Japan. 

45.     Physarum  albescens  Ellis. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  4,  4  a. 

1889.    Physarum  albescens  Ellis  in  litt:  not  described. 

1893.  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cke.,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  N.  H.  Iowa,  No.  2, 
p.  155,  in  part. 

1894.  Physarum  virescens  van  nitens  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  59,  in   part. 
1899.     Physarum   virescens   var.   nitens  List.,   Macbr.,   A'^.   A.   S.,  p.    34,   in 

part. 

1899.  Leocarpus  fulvus  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  82. 

1911.  Physarum  fulvum  Lister,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  60. 

1911.  Physarum  virescens,  nitens  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  84,  in  part. 


PHY  S  ARUM  87 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  ovoid  or  globose,  pale  yellowish  or 
fulvous,  opening  irregularly  above,  stipitate ;  the  peridium  double,  the 
outer  layer  more  or  less  calcareous,  the  inner  delicate,  almost  in- 
distinguishable, persistent  below  as  a  shallow  cup;  the  stipe  long, 
weak,  striate,  fulvous  or  yellow;  hypothallus  distinct,  venulose,  or 
more  or  less  continuous;  capillitium  pallid  or  white,  dense,  with  here 
and  there  below  large  continuous  yellow  calcareous  nodules;  colu- 
mella none;  spore-mass  black;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  dark  brown, 
rough,  13-15  /x.  Varies  to  forms  with  single  (inner)  peridium  and 
simple  physaroid  capillitium.  Vid.  descriptions  cited  for  P.  auri- 
scalpimn,  P.  nitens,  etc. 

This  interesting  form  is  from  our  western  mountains,  and  suggests 
at  first  a  diderma;  but  the  capillitium  is  entirely  unlike  that  of  a 
diderma  in  color  and  structure,  and  plainly  belongs  here,  Plasmo- 
dium yellow,  on  fallen  leaves  and  twigs.  Our  material  is  from  Prof. 
Bethel,  Denver;  and  Lake  Tahoe,  Nevada;  later  from  Dr.  Weir, 
Montana.  No  doubt  common  at  high  altitudes  hear  the  snow-line  in 
mountainous  regions,  probably  around  the  world. 

As  indicated  above,  this  was  originally  entered  as  of  the  genus 
Leocarpus;  the  taxonomic  history  of  the  form  may  interest  readers 
who  note  with  surprise  the  presentation  in  synonymy  here  developed. 

About  thirty-five  or  forty  years  ago  Dr.  Harkness  of  California 
sent  to  Mr.  Ellis  of  New  Jersey  a  slime-mould  which  the  sender  re- 
ferred to  Diderma  albescens  Phillips,  {Grev.  V.,  p.  114,  1877). 
Ellis  sent  a  small  bit  to  the  Iowa  herbarium  without  other  comment, 
save  that  he  thought  it  a  physarum.  Sometime  later  Mr.  Ellis  re- 
ceived from  Father  Langlois,  a  correspondent  in  Louisiana,  specimens 
he  esteemed  the  same  thing.  He  expressed  the  opinion  that  if  this 
were  what  Phillips  had  found  in  California,  it  should  perhaps  be 
called  a  physarum.  The  Louisiana  material  by  his  courtesy  came 
also  to  this  table.  The  material  was  scanty,  in  poor  condition,  and 
all  waited  further  light.  To  these  specimens  the  writer  paid  less 
attention.  They  were  in  the  hands  of  his  correspondents  and  the 
courtesy  of  the  case  required  their  further  consideration  by  Dr.  Rex. 

In  1889  Mr.  Holway  found  in  Iowa,  a  physarum  of  which  he  sent 
part  to  Ellis  and  the  remainder  to  the  writer  who,  then  engaged  on 
the  MyxoTTiycetes  of  East.  Iowa,  referred  his  part  of  this  Iowa  gath- 


88  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ering  to  the  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cke.  as  found  in  New  York. 
Under  this  caption  a  specimen  was  later  sent  to  Mr.  Lister,  who  has, 
as  we  see,  consistently  regarded  the  thing  as  a  variety  of  P.  virescens 
Ditmar,  P.  nitens  List. 

Meantime  in  1898  Colorado  material  from  Professor  Bethel 
reached  the  University.  This  did  not  recall  any  of  the  materials  sent 
from  Ellis.  Diderma  albescens  had  meanwhile  come  again  from 
California,  and  been  recognized  as  Diderma  niveum  Rost. 

Accordingly,  in  A''.  A.  S.  the  latest  arrival  from  Colorado  was 
described  as  a  new  species,  and  with  some  temerity  perhaps,  offered 
as  a  second  species  of  the  hitherto  monotypic  Leocarpus,  all  on  ac- 
count of  the  peculiar  capillitium.  Sometime  after  publication  our 
most  valued  correspondent  Mr.  Bilgram  called  attention  to  the  re- 
semblance between  the  Colorado  and  Louisiana  material  already 
referred  to.  The  University  specimens  as  stated  were  small,  broken, 
and  in  every  way  poor,  but  enough  remained  to  indicate  the  evident 
justice  of  our  correspondent's  suspicion.  Further  investigation  of  the 
Holway  material  in  Philadelphia  showed  that  it  too  was  entitled  to 
consideration!  Inasmuch  as  the  Holway  sending  was  all  from  one 
Plasmodium,  all  difficulties  vanished  at  once.  The  Iowa  gathering 
showed  two  phases:  one  at  the  University  represents  P.  nitens,  phy- 
saroid,  single-walled ;  while  the  Philadelphia  part  of  the  gathering 
corresponds,  poorly  it  is  true,  but  in  fact,  as  now  appears,  to  the 
form  coming  in  perfection  from  Colorado;  leocarpine  in  structure, 
published  as  Leocarpus  fulvus;  P.  fulvum  Lister.  Since  the  combi- 
nation P.  fulvum  is  already  in  use,  synonym  of  P.  rubiginosum,  it 
seems  better  to  write  the  name  suggested  by  Ellis;  Physarum  al- 
bescens never  having  been  published,  because  Diderma  albescens,  as 
noted  took  care  of  itself. 

Since  Rostafinski  w^e  separate  all  these  physaroid  forms  chiefly  by 
capillitial  characters :  capillitial  structure  separates  genera.  Physarum 
diderma  is  a  physarum  despite  its  double  wall.  And  so  here  Leo- 
carpus was  set  out  by  its  differentiating  capillitium.  In  good  speci- 
mens of  the  present  species  a  large  part  of  the  capillitial  net  is  en- 
tirely free  from  lime,  so  that  when  the  peridium  first  opens  at  the 
summit,  sometimes  no  trace  of  lime  appears;  the  calcareous  deposits 
are  below,   and   tend  to  occupy   not  the  nodal   intersections   as  in 


PHY  S  A  RUM  89 

Physarum,  but  in  large  masses  involve  portions  of  the  net  itself,  nodes 
and  all,  as  in  Leocarpus.  Miss  Lister's  beautiful  figures,  op.  cit., 
Figs.  66  and  82,  show  this  very  well. 

In  The  Journal  of  Botany,  52,  p.  100,  the  distinguished  author 
and  artist  records  the  discovery  of  this  species  in  the  mountains  of 
Switzerland.  She  says:  "This  specimen  shows  a  striking  resemblance 
to  Leocarpus  fragilis  Rost.,  both  in  the  shape  of  the  sporangia  and  in 
the  capillitium  and  spores;  but  although  the  color  of  the  sporangia 
varies  in  both  these  species,  the  walls  of  F.  (L.)  fulvum  are  mem- 
branous and  rugose  with  included  deposits  of  lime  granules  and  show 
nothing  of  the  polished  cartilaginous  layers  characteristic  of  L. 
fragilis." 

The  species  is  a  boundary  type  at  best,  and  shows  again  how  arti- 
ficial all  our  taxonomy  is  apt  to  prove,  when  the  number  of  presenta- 
tions of  some  particular  type  becomes  larger. 

For  these  reasons,  the  present  author  writes  Physaru?n,  and  believes 
the  question  of  identity  in  a  perplexing  case  fortunately  settled. 

46.     Physarum  variabile  Rex. 

1893.     Physarum  variabile  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  371. 

1911.    Physarum  variabile  Rex,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  47. 

Sporangia  scattered,  stipitate,  sub-stipitate  or  sessile,  about  1  mm. 
high;  regularly  or  irregularly  globose,  ellipsoidal,  obovate  or  cylin- 
dric-clavate  in  shape ;  sporangium  wall  sometimes  apparently  thick,  of 
a  dingy  yellow  or  brownish-ochre  color,  slightly  rugulose  on  the  sur- 
face, crustaceous,  brittle,  rupturing  irregularly,  sometimes  thin,  trans- 
lucent, covered  externally  with  flat  circular  calcic-masses  falling  away 
in  patches;  stipes  nearly  equal,  occasionally  much  expanded  at  the 
base,  rough,  longitudinally  rugose,  variable  in  size,  sometimes  one- 
third  of  a  millimetre  high,  sometimes  a  mere  plasmodic  thickening  of 
the  base  of  the  sporangium ;  color  of  stipes  varying  from  a  yellowish- 
white  to  a  dull  brownish-gray ;  capillitium  a  small-meshed  network  of 
delicate  colorless  tubules  with  large,  many-angled,  rounded  masses  of 
white,  or  rarely  yellowish-white  lime-granules  at  the  nodes;  no  true 
columella,  but  often  a  central  irregular  mass  of  white  lime-granules; 
spores  dark  violet-brown,  verruculose,  9-10  ix. 


90  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Pennsylvania.     Dr.  Rex. 

Lister,  op.  cit.,  describes  a  variety,  sessile,  presenting  plasmodio- 
carpous  fructification,  from  Ceylon,  also  from  Antigua,  but  there  are 
some  doubts  as  to  the  identity  of  these  with  American  sessile  and 
plasmodiocarpous  forms.     Vid.  Jour.  Bot.  XXXVI.,  p.  113. 

47.     Physaruim  auriscalpium  Cooke. 

1877.  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cooke,  Myx.  U.  S.,  Am.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist. 
N.  Y.,  XL,  p.  384. 

1877.  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cke.,  Myx.  Gr.  Brit.,  PI.  24,  f.  253-4. 

1893.  Physarum  sulphureum  (Alb.  &  Schw.),  Sturgis,  Bot.  Gaz.,  XVIIL, 
p.  197. 

1898.  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cke.,  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  XXXVL,  p.  115. 

1911.  Physarum  auriscalpium  Cke.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  Syn.  excl. 

Sporangia  scattered,  stipitate  or  occasionally  sub-sessile  spherical, 
.8-1  mm.  high;  peridium  granulated,  bright  golden  yellow;  stipe, 
when  present,  one-half  to  two-thirds  the  height  of  the  sporangium, 
blackish-brown;  hypothallus,  minute,  thin,  brown;  columella  absent; 
capillitium  rather  dense,  composed  of  large  angular  nodes,  completely 
filled  with  bright  yellow  granules  of  lime,  and  connected  by  very 
short,  delicate,  colorless  inter-nodes  destitute  of  lime;  spores  globose 
minutely  verruculose,  or  asperate,  10.7-11.8  /u,  in  diameter,  brownish- 
violet  by  transmitted  light,  black  in  the  mass. 

This  is  the  original  description,  1893,  of  P.  sulphureum  (Alb.  & 
Schw.)  Sturgis;  the  author  last  named  having  compared  certain 
stalked  New  England  forms  with  what  he  could  find  of  P.  sulphur- 
eum in  the  herbarium  of  Schweinitz  at  Philadelphia,  and  having,  as 
he  thought,  established  identity. 

Meantime  Mr.  Lister  had  been  inclined  to  refer  P.  auriscalpium 
Cke.  to  P.  rubiginosum  Fr.,  Alycetozoa,  p.  61. 

In  1898  Professor  Sturgis  and  Mr.  Lister  agreed  that  the  New 
England  specimens,  owing  to  color  and  character  of  stipe  and  some 
other  differences  could  not  be  the  Schweinitzian  species,  but  did  in- 
deed conform  much  better  with  those  in  London  labelled  P.  auriscal- 
pium Cke. 

Accordingly  P.  sulphureum  is  something  else,  very  different,    (v. 


PHYSARUM  91 

A.  &  S.,  Cons.  Fung.  Tab.,  VI.,  f.  1),  and  by  aid  of  recent^  discov- 
eries in  Sweden  goes  its  own  way  again.  Meanwhile  P.  sulphureum 
Sturgis  stands,  a  new  type  for  P.  auriscnlpium  Cke.,  the  description 
modified  to  suit;  the  lamented  pioneer-author  receives  honor  due^ 
and  his  handsome  species,  with  its  "golden  graving,"  may  now  march, 
let  us  hope,  under  appropriate  banner  far  down  the  fair  highway  to 
future  fame! 

48.     Physarum  oblatum  Macbr. 

Plate  III.,  Fig.  6;  Plate  XIV.,  Figs.  3,  Z  a,  3  b. 

1879.  Physarum  ornatum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Museum,  XXXI.,  p.  40{?). 

1893.  Physarum  oblatum  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist,  lovja,  II.,  p.  384. 

1896.  Craterium  maydis  Morg.,  Myx.  Miam.  Vail.,  p.  87. 

1909.  Physarum  maydis  Torr.,  Flor.  des  Myxo.,  p.  193. 

1911.  Physarum  maydis  Torr.  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  59. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  stipitate,  small,  bright  yellow,  globose  or  de- 
pressed-globose, rough ;  stipe  reddish-brown  or  fuliginous,  even, 
short,  slender;  hypothallus  scant,  black,  or  none;  columella  none; 
threads  of  the  capillitium  yellow,  delicate,  connecting  the  rather 
dense  and  abundant  yellow  lime-granules;  spore-mass  brownish- 
black,  spores  violaceous,  minutely  but  distinctly  spinulose,  9-11  fi. 

This  species  is  easily  recognizable  by  its  brilliant  yellow  color, 
somewhat  rugose,  sometimes  scaly  peridium,  its  richly  calcareous 
capillitium,  also  bright  yellow  where  not  weathered  or  faded,  its 
dark  brown,  translucent,  non-calcareous  stem.  In  dehiscence,  the 
base  of  the  peridium  in  cup-form,  sometimes  persists.  This  circum- 
stance, with  the  fact  that  decaying  maize-stalks  and  leaves  are  a 
favorite  habitat,  led  Professor  Morgan  to  its  description  as  Crate- 
rium maydis.  But  it  is  doubtless  a  physarum,  occurring  on  habitats 
of  all  sorts,  from  Ohio  to  Iowa,  Colorado  and  Washington.  Cey- 
lon (?). 

Physaru?n  ornatum  Peck  is  doubtfully  cited  here,  although  Pro- 
fessor Morgan  thought  it  the  same  as  P.  oblatum.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  original  brief  description,  op.  cit.,  does  not  suggest  either  P.  ob- 
latum or  P.  maydis;  rather  a  form  of  Tilmadoche  viridis.     Professor 

iRobt.  E.  Fries,  Ofvers.  K.  Vetens.  Akad.  Forh.,  1899,  No.  3,  p.  225. 


92  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sturgis,  Notes  on  Some  Type  Specimens  of  Myxo.,  in  the  N.  Y.  Mu- 
seum, Trans.  Conn.  Acad.  Arts  and  Sci.,  Vol.  X.,  Pt.  2,  p.  470,  says 
that  of  the  type  almost  nothing  remains,  that  the  name  P.  ornatum 
PL  "should  be  discarded." 

49.  Physarum  galbeum  Wing. 

1890.  Physarum  galheum  Wing.,  Ell.,  A'^.  A.  F.,  2491   (no  description). 

1892.  Physarum  petersii  Berk.  &  C,  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  296,  in  part. 

1894.  Physarum  berkeleyi  Rest.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  48,  in  part. 

1899.  Physarum  galbeum  Wing.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  53. 

1911.  Physarum  galbeum  Wing.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  59. 

Sporangia  scattered,  globose,  stipitate,  often  nodding,  golden  yel- 
low, the  peridium  exceedingly  thin,  breaking  up  into  patches  on 
which  the  yellow  lime  granules  are  conspicuous ;  stipe  non-calcareous, 
pale  brown  or  amber-colored,  longitudinally  wrinkled,  about  one  and 
one-half  times  the  diameter  of  the  peridium;  columella  none;  hypo- 
thallus  none;  capillitium  dense,  extremely  delicate,  the  nodes  only 
here  and  there  calcareous,  the  lime  knots  when  present  small,  angu- 
lar, yellow;  spore-mass  pale  brown;  spores  almost  smooth,  lilac-  or 
violet-tinted,  7.5-10  jx. 

Distinguished  among  the  small  delicate  species  with  which  it  will 
be  naturally  associated,  by  the  yellow,  richly  calcareous  wall  of  the 
globose  sporangium  and  the  almost  limeless  capillitium.  The  stipe  is 
hollow  and  contains  irregular  masses  of  refuse  granular  matter,  but 
no  lime  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  discover.  P.  flavicomum,  to 
which  the  species  is  related  most  closely,  differs  in  having  the  wall 
non-calcareous,  iridescent,  as  well  as  in  the  color  throughout;  the 
character  of  the  capillitium,  in  which  lime  is  abundant;  the  absence 
of  refuse-matter  in  the  stem. 

Pennsylvania,  Iowa,  Minnesota. 

50.  Physarum  tenerum  Rex. 

1890.  Physarum  tenerum  Rex.,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.   192. 

1894.  Physarum  polymorphum  Rost.  van  obrusseum,  Lister,  Mycet.,  p.  48. 

1899.  Physarum  obrusseum  (Berk.  &  C.)  Rest.,  Macbr.,  A'^,  A.  S.,  p.  52. 

1911.  Physarum  tenerum  Rex,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  52. 


PHY  S  A  RUM  93 

The  peridium  thin,  membranaceous,  thickly  studded  with  circular, 
flattened,  yellow  granules  of  lime;  stipe  long,  slender,  subulate, 
opaque,  pale  brown,  striate  and  black  below,  pale  yellow  above;  col- 
umella none;  capillitium  yellow  or  white,  delicate,  forming  a  loosely 
but  regularly  meshed  network  with  numerous  small  round  or  round- 
ed granules  at  the  intersections;  spores  dark  brown,  delicately  warted, 
7-8  IX. 

This  delicate  physarum,  very  fragile  and  evanescent,  seems  to  be 
distinct,  by  reason  of  its  characteristic  rounded  lime  granules,  from 
any  similar,  stipitate  species.  It  varies  a  little  according  to  locality. 
Ohio  specimens  are  a  little  larger  and  have  thicker  and  more  calca- 
reous stipes  than  is  usual  in  those  from  Philadelphia.  The  walls  of 
the  sporangia  when  fully  matured  generally  break  into  several  petal- 
like segments  which  finally  become  reflexed.  The  description  given 
by  Berkeley  is  entirely  insufficient. 

In  an  earlier  edition  this  species  was  entered  as  P.  obrusseum  fol- 
low^ing  the  Polish  text.  Miss  Lister  who  has  the  type  of  Didymium 
obrusseum  at  hand  considers  it  as  representing  a  phase  of  Physarum 
polycephalum  Schw.  D.  tenerrimum  Berk.  &  Curt,  is  judged  the 
same.  P.  tenerum  Rex  is,  in  any  event,  certain,  and  the  combination 
is  adopted. 

Rare:  —  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Iowa,  Portugal, 
Japan. 

51.     Physarum  flavicomum  Berk. 

Plate  XV.,  Figs,  3,  3  a. 

1845.  Physarum  flavicomum  Berk.,  Hook.  Jour.  Bot.,  IV.,  p.  66. 

1873.  Physarum  cupripes,  Berk.  &  Rav.,   Gre<v.,  II.,  p.  65. 

1875.  Physarum  berkeleyi  Rost.,  Man.,  p.   105. 

1894.  Physarum  berkeleyi  Rost,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  57. 

1899.  Physarum  flavicomum  Berk.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  53. 

1911.  Physarum  flavicomum  Berk,,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p,  58, 

Sporangia  gregarious,  small,  spherical,  at  first  fuliginous  through- 
out, stipitate;  the  peridium  thin,  destitute  of  lime,  iridescent,  break- 
ing up  and  deciduous  in  patches,  except  at  the  base;  stipe  twice  the 
diameter  of  the  peridium,  brown,  fluted,  not  hollow,  tapering  up- 
ward from  a  small  but  distinct,  radiant  hypothallus;  columella  none; 


94  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

capillitium  dense,  persistent,  the  nodes  frequently  calcareous,  elon- 
gate and  vertical,  especially  below,  yellow;  spore-mass  brown;  spores 
by  transmitted  light,  bright  violaceous-brown,  slightly  papillose,  9- 

10    IX. 

This  species  is  instantly  distinguishable  from  all  cognate  forms  by 
its  peculiar  sooty  color.  Not  less  is  the  species  structurally  marked 
by  its  capillitium.  The  latter  below  is  exactly  as  in  the  species  of 
Tibnadoche.  Indeed,  the  present  species  unites  characters  supposed 
to  distinguish  Physariim  from  Tilmadoche,  and  would  so  far  justify 
those  authors  who  bring  all  the  species  of  both  genera  together  under 
one  generic  name.  In  any  case  the  species  is  by  its  capillitium  en- 
tirely distinct  from  P.  galbeum,  as  well  as  by  the  structure  of  the  stipe 
and  the  peridial  surface.  The  Plasmodium,  at  first  watery,  emerges 
from  decayed  elm  logs  and  soon  takes  on  a  peculiar  greenish  tint  pre- 
served somewhat  in  the  mature  fruit. 

Rostafinski,  Monograph,  pp.  105,  106,  rejects  Berkeley's  specific 
name,  flavicomum,  because  it  refers  to  the  somewhat  indefinite,  char- 
acteristic color.  As  this  is  no  valid  reason  for  change,  we  have  re- 
stored Berkeley's  specific  name,  which  by  general  consent  has  priority. 
N.  A.  F.,  3299. 

Not  common.     New  Jersey,  Ohio,  South  Carolina,  Iowa. 

52.     Physarum  bethelii  (Macbr.)  Lister. 

1899.     Tilmadoclie   betlielii,  Macbr.,  Exempt,  ad  Herbaria. 

1911.     Physarum  gyrosum  Rost,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  75. 

Sporangia  scattered,  globose,  umbilicate  below,  .5—1  mm.  in  diam- 
eter, iridescent  blue,  or  sometimes  tinged  by  the  presence  of  delicate 
pale  yellow  calcareous  scales,  stipitate;  stipe  rather  short,  black  or 
dark  brown,  equal ;  capillitium  dense,  radiating  from  the  black, 
slightly  intrusive  summit  of  the  stipe,  and  from  the  base  of  the 
peridium  ascending;  the  nodules  not  numerous,  elongate,  branching 
betimes,  pale  yellow;  spores  minutely  roughened,  10-12  ju. 

This  beautiful  delicately  tinted  little  species  is  clearly  tilmadochoid 
in  the  Friesian  sense.  The  capillitium  persists  after  the  fall  of  the 
upper  filmy  peridium,  adherent  below  to  the  persisting  peridial  base. 
Collected  thus  far  twice  only;  by  Professor  Bethel  and  by  Professor 
Sturgis,  Colorado. 


PHY  S  ARUM  95 

SECTION  2 
Tilmadoche  Fries 

53.  Physarum  gyrcsum  (Rost.)  Jahn. 

1875.    Physarum  gyrosum  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  111. 

1902.  Physarum  gyrosum  Rost.,  Jahn,  Ber.  Deutsch.  Bot.  Ges.,  XX.,  p.  272, 
t.  XIII. 

1911.     Physarum  gyrosum  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  75. 

Sporangia  gyrose,  variable  in  form,  or  plasmodiocarpous  and  ir- 
regular, venulose,  sessile  upon  a  common,  strongly  developed 
hypothallus,  sometimes  isolated  and  irregularly  globose,  dehiscing  ir- 
regularly or  by  longitudinal  fissure,  yellowish  or  greyish  white;  col- 
umella none;  capillitium  delicate,  the  nodules  elongate,  variable  in 
size;  spores  pale  violaceous,  minutely  spinulose,  7-10  /x. 

This  is  a  European  species  recently  resuscitated  by  Dr.  Jahn.  It 
perhaps  might  more  correctly  be  recorded  as  P.  gyrosum  Jahn,  since 
Rostafinski  certainly  attempted  in  his  description  to  cover  two  ap- 
parently distinct  things.  He  seems  to  have  had  before  him  Fuligo 
muscorum  Schw.  and  "P.  gyrosum,"  but  he  thought  them  the  same, 
and  his  description  touches  now  one,  now  the  other.  Since  F.  mus- 
corum Schw.  has  all  along  held  its  own  and  received  due  recognition, 
it  is  interesting  to  note  the  recovery  of  this  gyrose  form. 

Judging  by  description  and  figures,  it  resembles  a  very  large,  sessile 
phase  of  P.  polycephalum.     See  further  under  that  species. 

Europe,  Japan,  Eastern  United  States  (?). 

54.  Physarum  polycephalum  Schw. 

Plate  VIII.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  h. 

1822.  Physarum  polycephalum  Schw.,  Syn.  Fung.  Car.,  No.  382. 

1829.  Didymium  polycephalum    (Schw.)    Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.   122. 

1837.  Didymium  polymorphum  Mont.,  Ann.  Sci.  Nat.,  Ser.  2,  8,  p.  361. 

1837.  Didymium  gyrocephalum  Mont.,  op.  cit.,  p.  362. 

1875.  Physarum  polymorphum    (Mont.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  107. 

1875.  Tilmadoche  gyrocephala  (Mont.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  131. 

1899.  Tilmadoche  polycephala   (Schw.)   Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  57. 

1911.  Physarum  polycephalum  Schw.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  58. 


96  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  spherical  or  irregular,  impressed,  gyrose-confluent,  hel- 
velloid,  umbilicate  below ;  peridium  thin,  ashy,  covered  with  evanes- 
cent yellow  squamules,  fragile;  stipe  from  an  expanded  membrana- 
ceous base,  long-subulate,  yellow;  spores  smooth,  violet,  9-11  fx. 

A  most  singular  species  and  well  defined  is  this,  occurring  in 
masses  of  decaying  leaves  or  on  rotten  logs.  The  Plasmodium  at  first 
colorless;  as  it  emerges  for  fructification,  white,  then  yellow,  spread- 
ing far  over  all  adjacent  objects,  not  sparing  the  leaves  and  flowers  of 
living  plants;  at  evening  slime,  spreading,  streaming,  changing;  by 
morning  fruit,  a  thousand  stalked  sporangia  with  their  strangely 
convoluted  sculpture.  The  evening  winds  again  bear  off  the  sooty 
spores,  and  naught  remains  but  twisted  yellow  stems  crowned  with  a 
pencil  of  tufted  silken  hairs.     August. 

Although  Rostafinski's  description  of  this  species  is  accurate  and 
marks  exactly  a  Tilmadoche  and  is  very  different  from  his  description 
of  Physarum  polymorphum,  nevertheless  it  is  probable  that  both  de- 
scriptions have  reference  to  the  same  thing.  All  specimens  on  which 
both  species  were  based  were  American;  P.  polymorphum,  North 
American.  But  the  only  North  American  form  to  which  reference 
can  be  made  is  that  by  Schweinitz  called  P.  polycephalum  and,  for- 
tunately, sufficiently  described.  Furthermore,  Rostafinski,  under  T. 
gyrocephala,  himself  affirms  the  probable  identity  of  Montagne's 
Didymium  gyrocephalum  with  the  Schweinitzian  species,  and  uses 
Montagne's  specific  name  provisionally.  For  these  reasons  it  seems 
proper  to  write  the  species  as  above. 

Widely  distributed  and  common,  from  Maine  and  Canada  to 
Nebraska,  and  Washington  and  south  to  Nicaragua. 

This  species  is  so  common  that  its  Plasmodium  and  fructification 
may  be  easily  observed.  Professor  Morton  E.  Peck,  who  has  been 
for  years  a  close  observer  of  the  vegetative  phases  of  our  Iowa  species, 
says  of  P.  polycephalum:  "In  one  instance  I  observed  a  Plasmodium 
for  twelve  successive  days  on  the  surface  of  a  decaying  stump.  Dur- 
ing this  period  it  crept  all  around  the  stump  and  from  top  to  bottom 
several  times.  At  one  time  the  color  was  bright  yellow;  at  another, 
greenish  yellowt;  and  once,  shortly  before  fruiting,  it  became  clear 
bright  green.     A  heavy  rain   fell  upon  the  Plasmodium  but  it   ap- 


PHYSARUM  97 

peared    to   sustain    little    injury    and    ultimately    developed    normal 
sporangia." 

55.     Physarum  nutans  Pers. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  albus  Bull,,  Champ.,  p.  137,  t.  407,  III.,  and  t.  470, 
I,  A-L. 

1791.  Stemonitis  alba    (Bull.),  Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,  p.   1469    (?). 

1795.  Physarum  nutans  Pers.,  Ust.  Ann.  Bot.,  XV.,  p.  6. 

1803.  Trichia  cernua  Schum.,  Enum.  PL,  SaelL,  II.,  p.  241. 

1829.  Physarum  cernuum  (Schum.)  in  part,  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  pp.  130, 
147. 

1848.  Tilmadoche  cernua   (Schum.)    Fr.,  Summ.   Veg.  Sc,  p.  454. 

1873.  Tilmadoche  nutans   (Pers.)   Rost.,   Versuch,  p.  10. 

1899.  Tilmadoche  alba  (Bull.)   Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  58. 

1911.  Physarum  nutans  Pers.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  67,  in  part. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  depressed-spherical,  stipitate,  umbilicate, 
gray  or  white,  thin-walled,  nodding;  stipe  long,  tapering  upward, 
brown  or  black  below,  ashen  white  above,  lightly  striate,  graceful ; 
capillitium  abundant,  threads  delicate,  intricately  combined  in  loose 
persistent  network  with  occasional  minute,  rounded,  or  elongate  cal- 
careous nodules;  spores  minutely  roughened,  globose,  about  10  /t. 

The  nodding,  lenticular,  umbilicate  sporangium,  barely  attached  to 
the  apiculate  stipe,  is  sufficient  to  distinguish  this  elegant  little  spe- 
cies, recognized  and  quite  aptly  characterized  by  mycologists  for  more 
than  one  hundred  years.  As  Sphaerocarpus  albus  Bulliard  first  pre- 
scribed the  limits  by  which  the  species  is  at  present  bounded.  The 
description  by  Fries  {Syst.  Myc,  III.,  128)  is  especially  graphic; 
"Peridium  very  thin,  in  form  quite  constantly  lenticular,  umbilicate 
at  base,  at  first  smooth  then  uneven,  generally  laciniate-dehiscent,  the 
segments  persistent  at  least  at  base." 

The  stipe  is  usually  white  above,  fuscous  below,  at  the  apex  almost 
evanescent;  hence  the  cernuous  sporangia.  The  same  character  is 
less  strikingly  manifest  in  the  species  next  following. 

The  Plasmodium  is  bright  yellow,  sometimes  greenish.  Brought  in 
from  the  field  and  maturing  under  a  bell-jar,  the  color  changes  to  a 
watery  white  just  before  the  sporangia  rise  in  fruit.  P.  album 
Fuckel,  Rhen.  FL,  No.  1469,  1865,  is  believed  to  be  P.  cinereuni 
(Batsch)   Pers. 

8 


98  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Persoon  changed  Bulliard's  specific  name  in  this  case  to  furnish 
one  himself,  more  descriptive  as  he  thought  and  distinctive.  His  suc- 
cess in  this  attempt  must  be  esteemed  but  partial  since  all  the  related 
forms,  immediately  listed,  nod  as  well.  Bulliard's  name  as  applied 
by  Persoon  is  therefore  to  be  preferred.  But  the  transfer  from  Til- 
madoche  to  Physarum  loses  for  us  one  step  in  the  ladder  of  priority. 
P.  album  (Bull.)  may  not  enter  here,  since  Fries  has  given  us  one 
species  under  that  title.  So  Persoon  comes  next  on  the  list,  all  the 
world  now  nodding  approbation,  let  us  hope! 

Under  the  name  Physarum  gracilentum,  Fries  cites  an  extremely 
delicate  form  of  this  species.  The  sporangia  are  of  the  most  minute, 
about  .2-3  mm.  in  diameter,  globose,  slightly  umbilicate  below,  the 
stipe  usually  white  at  top,  but  sometimes  black  throughout.  This 
graceful  form  occurs  rarely  in  undisturbed  woods. 

Widely  distributed  in  the  eastern  United  States,  apparently  rare 
in  the  west.  Reported  from  various  parts  of  the  world;  Europe, 
Japan,  Australia,  etc. 

56.     Physarum  viride  (Bull.)  Pers. 

•  1791.  Sphaerocarpus  viridis  Bull.,  Champ.,  t.  407,  Fig.  I. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  luteus  Bull.,  Champ.,  t.  407,  Fig,  II. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  aurantius  Bull.,  Champ.,  t.  484,  Fig.  II. 

1791.  Stemonitis  viridis   (Bull.)    Gmel.,  Sys.  Nat.,  p.   1469. 

1794.  Physarum  aureum  Pers.,  Romer,  Neu.  Mag.  f.  die  Bot.,  I.,  p.  88. 

1795.  Physarum  viride  Pers.,   Usteri,  Ann.  Bot.,  XV.,   p.  6. 
1801.  Physarum  aurantium  Pers.,  Syn.  Meth.,  p.   173. 

1829.  Physarum  nutans  var.  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III,,  pp.   128-129. 

1875.  Tilmadoche  mutahilis  Rost,,  Mon.,  p,  129. 

1880,  Tilmadoche  viridis    (Bull.)    Sacc,   Michelia,   II,,   p.   263. 

1894.  Physarum  viride  Pers.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  50. 

1899.  Tilmadoche  viridis   (Bull.)    Sacc,  Macbr,,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  59. 

1911.  Physarum  viride  Pers,,  List,,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed. 

Sporangia  globose,  flattened  or  lenticular,  beneath  plane  or  con- 
cave, variously  colored,  yellow,  greenish  yellow,  rusty  orange,  stipi- 
tate,  nodding;  the  peridium  splitting  irregularly  or  reticulately ; 
stipe  variable  in  length  and  color,  through  various  shades  of  red  and 
yellow,  subulate ;  capillitium  strongly  developed,  concolorous  with 
sporangium,  the  tubes  with  colorless  or  yellow  calcareous  thicken- 
ings; spores  smooth,  fuscous  or  violet-black,  8  fi. 


PHY  S  ARUM  99 

A  very  handsome  and  rather  common  little  species;  like  the  pre- 
ceding, but  generally  greenish-yellow  '\n  color,  and  occasionally  bril- 
liantly orange  without  a  suggestion  of  green.  Indeed,  the  color  is  so 
variable  that  some  authors  have  been  disposed  to  discard  the  species 
entirely,  inasmuch  as  the  chief  specific  character  is  color.  The  Plas- 
modium is  pale  yellow,  in  rotten  logs,  stumps,  etc.  In  the  paler 
yellow  or  greenish  forms  the  stipe  is  more  commonly  black. 

This  is  Physaru?n  luteurn  (Bull.)  Fries,  and  likewise  also  includes 
the  three  varieties,  viride,  aiireum,  coccineum,  listed  by  the  same 
author  under  P.  nutans,  while  he  at  the  same  time  remarks  that  they 
might  with  equal  propriety  be  elsewhere  referred.  Rostafinski  con- 
siders that  all  the  colored  forms  agree  in  capillitium  sufficiently  to  be 
associated  under  one  name  and  are  in  the  same  way  unlike  T. 
nutans.^  Rostafinski  thinks  to  avoid  confusion  by  suggesting  a  more 
fitting  specific  name,  T.  mutabilis,  but  there  seems  no  good  reason  for 
not  adopting  the  earliest  identifiable  specific  appellation,  which  in  this 
case  appears  to  be  viride.  The  yellow  phase  is  common  in  Iowa, 
resembles  in  size,  color,  stipe,  P.  galheum  Wingate,  but  is  instantly 
distinguishable  by  the  capillitium.     'N .  A.  F.,  1213. 

Widely  distributed  specimens  are  before  us ;  —  from  New  England, 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Ohio,  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Cali- 
fornia, Oregon,  Canada,  Nicaragua,  Samoa,  Alaska,  India,  etc. 

EXTRA.LIMITAL2 

Physarum  mutabile  (Rost.)  List. 

1875.  Crateriachea  mutabilis  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  125. 

1892.  Crateriachea  mutabilis  Rost.,  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  344. 

1894.  Physarum  cinereum  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  55,  in  part. 

1895.  Physarum    crateriachea  List.,   Jour.   Bot.  XXXIIL,   p.    323. 

1910.  Physarum  crateriachea  List.,  Fetch,  Mycetozoa  Ceylon,  p.  336. 

1911.  Physarum  mutabile  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  53. 

Sporangia  cylindrical  ovoid  or  subglobose  white,  plasmodiocarpous, 
sessile  or  stipitate,  stipes  when  present  yellow,  with  or  without  lime, 
often  connected  by  a  hypothallus ;  peridium  thin,  squamulose ;  capil- 

1  The  Polish  author  wrote  Tilmadoche  instead  of  Physarum  in  each  case 
cited. 

-  Forms  cited  are  chiefly  those  likely  to  be  found  in  our  neighboring  tropics, 
West  Indies,  etc. 


100  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

litium  persistent,  intricate,  the  nodules  white,  more  or  less  confluent 
at  the  center  to  form  a  real  or  a  pseudo-columella ;  spores  brownish- 
purple,  spinulose,  7-8  /x. 

Reported  from  Europe,  Africa,  Ceylon. 

Physarum  roseum  Berk.   £S°  Br. 

1873.     P/iysarurn   roseum   Berk.   &   Br.,   Jour.   Linn.   Soc,   XIV.,    p,    84. 

Plasmodium  rose-red ;  sporangia  gregarious,  stipitate,  globose,  rose- 
red  ;  the  stipe  erect,  brown,  rugulose,  translucent ;  capillitium  lax, 
delicate,  lilac,  the  nodules  few,  large,  purple- red,  branching;  spores 
reddish-lilac  or  brown,  minutely  spinulose,  7-10  fx. 

Reported  from  Ceylon,  Java,  Borneo,  Japan. 

Physarum  dictyospermum  List. 

1905.     Physarum  dictyospermum  List.,   Jour.  Bot.,  Vol.   XLIII.,  p.   112. 

"It  is  distinguished  from  the  other  known  species  of  Physarum  by 
the  strongly  reticulated  spores.  Its  nearest  ally  is  perhaps  P.  psitta- 
cinum  which  it  resembles  in  having  orange-red  lime-knots  and  in  the 
sporangium-wall  being  studded  with  orange  crystalline  disks." 
Lister. 

Reported  collected  once  only;  New  Zealand. 

Physarum  straminipes  List. 

1898.     Physarum  straminipes  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  Vol.  XXXVL,   p.   163 

Plasmodium  white;  sporangia  greyish-white,  obovoid  or  wedge- 
shaped,  .7  mm.  in  diameter,  clustered  or  scattered,  stipitate  or  sessile, 
when  stipitate  stalks  long,  weak;  peridium  membranous,  pale  purple; 
capillitium  a  persistent  rigid  net,  the  nodules  white,  rounded,  some- 
times aggregate  as  a  pseudo-columella;  spores  purple-brown,  10-11  fi, 
warted,  the  papillae  in  definite  patches. 

Related  to  P.  compressum. 

Reported  from  England ;  Germany. 

Physarum  crateriforme  Petch. 

Physarum   crateriforme  Petch,   Ann.  Perad.,  IV.,   p.   304. 

Physarum  crateriforme  Petch,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  69,  PI.  76. 

Sporangia  gregarious,   globose,   clavate   or  crateriform,   sessile  or 


PHYSARVM  101 

stipitate,  white;  stalk  when  present  opaque  conical,  black  below, 
white  above,  in  crateriform  sporangia  entering  and  developed  as  a 
columella;  capillitium  various,  strongly  calcareous,  the  nodules  either 
grouped  in  a  pseudo-columella,  or  in  globose  sporangia,  rod-like, 
ascending;  spores  closely  spinulose,  11-15  fi. 

Reported  from  Ceylon,  Japan,  West  Indies;  Lisbon. 

Physarum  gulielm/E  Penzig. 

1898.  Physarum  gulielmae  Penzig.,   Myx.  Beut.,  p.   34. 

1909.     Physarum  gulielmae  Penzig.,  Torrend,  Fl.  des  Myx.,  p.  208. 
1911.    Physarum  gulielmae  Penzig.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  76. 

Plasmodium  yellow;  sporangia  subglobose,  sessile,  brownish-orange 
or  chestnut  brown,  rugulose,  clustered  or  heaped,  often  with  a  yellow 
membranous  hypothallus;  peridium  membranous  with  clustered  de- 
posits of  yellowish-brown  lime  granules;  capillitium  abundant,  the 
nodes  angular,  branching,  white;  spores  purplish  brown,  spinulose, 
10-12  II. 

Reported  from  Java,  Sweden,  Switzerland. 

Physarum  echinosporum  List. 

1899.  Physarum  echinosporum  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  XXXVIL,   p.   147. 

This  species  is  distinguished  from  the  preceding  chiefly  in  episporic 
characters.  "Spores  purple,  8  fi,  marked  by  strong  ridges  and  spines," 
8/x. 

Reported  from  Antigua. 

Physarum  /eneum  (List.)  R.  E.  Fries. 

1898.     Physarum  murinum  van  aeneujn  Lister,  Jour.  Hot.,  XXXVL,  p.  117. 
1903.     Physarum  aeneum  Lister,  R.  E.  Fries,  Arkiv.  Bot.,  L,  p.  62. 

Sporangia  sessile,  subglobose  or  plasmodiocarpous,  pinkish-brown 
or  bronze,  glossy;  peridium  double,  the  outer  somewhat  cartilaginous, 
brittle,  falling  back  from  the  shining,  membranous  inner  wall ;  capil- 
litium dense,  the  nodules  not  large,  brown,  sometimes  aggregated  to 
form  a  pseudo-columella;  spores  pale  brownish-violet,  nearly  smooth, 
6—8  fx. 

Reported  from  West  Indies,  Bolivia. 


102  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Related   Genus 

Trichamphora  Junghuhn,  p.   12. 

1838.     Trichamphora,  Junghuhn,  FL  Crypt.  Javanica. 

Sporangia  discoidal,  above  concave,  saucer-shaped,  stipitate;  the 
capilh'tium  variable,  anon  physaroid,  badhamioid,  or  even  as  in 
Didy?nium. 

This  genus  is  set  up  for  the  accommodation  thus  far  of  the  single 
species  following.  It  differs  from  Physarella  in  the  apparently  con- 
stant discoidal  shape,  absence  of  trabecules,  etc. 

Trichamphora  pezizoidea  Jungh.,  op.  cit. 

1838.  Trichamphora  pezizoidea  Jungh.,  op.  cit. 

1854.  Didymium  zeylanicum  Berk.  &  Br.,  Hook.  Jour.  Bot.,  VI.,  p.  230. 

1869.  Physarum  macrocarpum  Fuckel,  Symb.  Myc,  p.  343. 

1875.  Chondrioderma  pezizoidea  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  424,  tab.  VIIL,  Fig.  122. 

1876.  Badhamia  fuckeliana  Rost.,  Mon.,  App.,  p.  2. 

1894.     Trichamphora  pezizoidea  Jungh.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  89. 

1911.     Trichamphora  pezizoidea  Jungh.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  90. 

Sporangia  discoidal  or  saucer-shaped,  gregarious,  stipitate,  erect  or 
nodding,  grayish-white,  the  peridium  thin,  breaking  irregularly  and 
persistent;  stipe  subulate,  striate,  reddish  brown,  transparent;  capil- 
litium  variable  as  above  stated ;  spores  pale  violet-brown,  spinulose  or 
nearly  smooth,  about  9  fi. 

In  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  the  spores  are  described  as  "dark  or  pale 
purplish  brown,  spinose,  spinulose  or  nearly  smooth,  9-17  /x  in  diam- 
eter." This  would  seem  too  great  a  variation  even  in  this  protean 
species.  The  only  specimens  in  our  herbarium  are  from  the  Congo 
valley.  The  spores  are  pale  and  nearly  smooth,  as  in  Tilmadoche 
alba,  and  9  /x.  Spores  17  /x  suggest  immaturity;  penultimate  cell- 
division. 

The  synonymy  above  cited  shows  how  this  species  has  impressed 
careful  students.  Doubtless  in  every  case  the  reference  is  correct, 
judging  from  the  specimen  each  author  had  before  him,  although  it  is 
hard  to  see  how  Chondrioderma  might  have  been  suggested. 

The  species  is  evidently  tropical,  though  reported  from  Europe. 


CRATERWM  103 

4.     Craterium  Trentepohl 

1797.     Craterium  Trentepohl,  Roth,   Catal,  I.,  p.  224. 

Sporangia  more  or  less  distinctly  cyathiform,  stipitate,  the  peridium 
generally  plainly  of  two  layers  or  even  of  three,  opening  at  the  top 
by  circumscission  more  or  less  definite,  or  by  a  distinct  lid,  the  upper 
part  calcareous  often  to  a  marked  degree,  the  lower,  cartilaginous, 
long  persistent  as  a  vasiform  cup  containing  the  capillitium  and 
spores,  the  calcareous  nodes  aggregating  more  or  less  to  form  a 
pseudo-columella. 

This  genus  is  distinguished  from  Physarum  and  Badhamia  chiefly 
by  the  form  of  the  sporangia  and  the  method  of  dehiscence.  The 
capillitium  is  in  some  specimens  particularly,  of  the  Physarum  type; 
in  others,  like  that  of  Badhamia.  There  are  accordingly  species  that 
receive  at  the  hands  of  different  authors  diverse  generic  reference  as 
one  feature  or  another  in  the  structure  is  emphasized  in  the  different 
cases.  It  is  granted  that  it  is  hard  to  draw  the  line  sometimes  be- 
tween forms  in  which  the  dehiscence  is  irregularly  circumscissile  and 
those  in  which  the  wall  breaks  without  any  regularity  whatever,  since, 
in  all,  the  breaking  up  of  the  peridium  usually  begins  at  the  top. 
Species  here  included  will,  however,  offer  little  ambiguity. 

Key  to  the  Species  of   Craterium 

A.  Dehiscence  circumscissile  or  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  upper  wall  of 

of  the  sporangium. 

a.  Sporangia  violet  or  purple       .        .        .         1.     C.  paraguayense 

b.  Sporangia   yellow 2.     C.  aureum 

c.  Sporangia  white-capped. 

1.  Sporangia  obovoid  or  globoid       .         3.     C.  leucocephalum 

2.  Sporangia  cylindric,   elongate  .        4.      C.   cylindricum 

B.  Dehiscence  by  a  distinct  lid. 

a.  Capillitium   pale  brown        ....         5.     C.   concinnum 

b.  Capillitium  white 6.     C,  minutum 

1.     Craterium  paraguayense  (Speg.)  List. 

1883.  Didymium  paraguayense  Speg.,  Fung.  Guar.  Pug.,  1,  p.  141. 

1893.  Craterium  rubescens  Rex,  Proc.  P/iilad.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  p.  370. 

1894.  Craterium   rubescens  Rex,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  71. 
1899.  Craterium  rubescens  Rex,  Macbr,,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  75. 

1904.     locraterium  paraguayense   (Speg.)  Jahn,  Hediuigia,  XLII.,  p.  302. 
1911.     Craterium  paraguayense  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  95. 


104  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  gregarious,  cylindrical  or  elongate  cyathiform,  stipitate, 
dark  violet-red,  the  apex  slightly  rougl^ened  by  pale  calcareous  gran- 
ules, the  peridium  longitudinally  wrinkled  below;  dehiscence,  irregu- 
larly circumscissile ;  stipe  darker,  one-half  the  height  of  the  sporan- 
gium, longitudinally  wrinkled ;  capillitium  dense,  abundantly  calca- 
reous; spores  violet-brown,  minutely  roughened,  7-8  /x. 

In  form  resembling  the  following  species,  but  instantly  distin- 
guished by  the  color,  which  is  red  throughout,  tinged  with  purple  or 
violet.  The  capillitium  is  badhamioid,  as  noted  by  Dr.  Rex.  Very 
distinct  from  P.  newtoni  in  color,  form,  habit,  epispore,  etc. 

2.     Craterium  aureum  (Schum.)  Rost. 

1803.     Trichia  aurea  Schum.,  Enum.  PL  SaelL,  II.,  p.  207. 
1829.     Craterium  mutabile  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,   p.   154. 
1875.     Craterium  aureum    (Schum.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.   125. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose  or  obovoid,  stipitate,  yellow,  erect, 
the  peridial  wall  thin,  especially  at  the  summit,  where  at  maturity  it 
breaks  up  somewhat  reticulately,  leaving  the  persistent  lower  portion 
with  an  uneven  margin  above  which  projects  the  pale  yellow  capil- 
litium ;  stipe  short,  orange,  or  brownish-red,  arising  from  a  small 
hypothallus;  capillitium  dense,  yellow,  the  nodules  not  large,  irreg- 
ular, tending  to  form  a  pseudo-columella  in  the  centre  of  the  cup; 
spores  minutely  warted,  violaceous-brown,  8-10  /t. 

Fries  regards  this,  which  he  names  C.  mutabile,  the  most  dis- 
tinctly marked  species  of  the  genus;  chiefly,  as  it  appears,  on  account 
of  the  bright  yellow  color.  This,  however,  varies.  Some  specimens 
before  us  are  gray,  showing  only  a  trace  of  yellow  below.  In  some 
European  specimens  a  reddish  tinge  prevails.  The  form  of  the 
sporangium  also  varies.  In  typical  specimens,  unopened,  the  shape  is 
almost  pyriform ;  opened,  we  have  a  cylindric,  oftenest  lemon-yellow 
vase,  mounted  on  a  short  striate  stalk.  But  again,  from  the  same 
Plasmodium,  we  may  have  globose  sporangia,  opening  so  as  to  leave 
only  a  shallow,  salver-shaped  base.  In  this  case  the  stipe  is  also 
longer.  The  Plasmodium  is  said  to  be  "clear  lemon  yellow."  — 
Massee. 

There  seems  little  doubt  that  Schumacher  had  in  mind  the  present 


CRATERWM  105 

species  in  his  Trichia  auiea.  Rostafinski  shows  that  Fries's  synonym, 
C.  mutahile,  is  founded  on  a  mistake.  The  earlier  specific  name  is 
therefore  on  Rostafinski's  authority  adopted. 

Not  common.  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  North  Carolina,  Ohio, 
Iowa. 

3.     Craterium  leucocephalum   (Pers.)  Ditmar, 

Plate  VIII,,  Fig,  5, 

1791.  Stemonitis  leucocephala  Gmelin,  Syst.  Nat.,  II.,  p,  1467. 

1801,  Arcyria  {!)    leucocephala  Persoon,  Syn.  Fung.,  p,   183, 

1801.  Craterium  {1)    leucocephalum,  Persoon,   Syn.  Fung.,   p,   184, 

1813.  Craterium    leucocephalum    (Pers.)    Ditmar,    Sturm,    Deutsch.    Flora, 

Pilze,  p.  21,  PI,  11, 

1889.  Physarum  scyphoides  Cke,  &  Balf.,  Jour.  Myc,  V.,  p,   186. 

1896,  Craterium  convivale  (Batsch)  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p,  86. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  short-cylindric  or  ovate,  pure  white  above, 
brown  or  reddish-brown  below,  stipitate,  dehiscence  irregularly  cir- 
cumscissile,  the  persistent  portion  of  the  peridium  beaker-shaped ;  stipe 
short,  stout,  expanded  above  into  the  base  of  the  peridium  with 
which  it  is  concolorous ;  hypothallus  scant ;  capillitium  white  or  some- 
times, toward  the  centre,  brownish,  the  calcareous  nodules  large,  con- 
spicuous, and  persistent;  spore-mass  black,  spores  violaceous-brown, 
minutely  spinulose,  8-9  jx. 

Distinguished  by  its  white  cap  from  all  except  the  next,  from 
which  the  markedly  different  form  serves  as  the  diagnostic  feature. 
In  some  gatherings,  curious  patches  of  yellow  mark  the  otherwise 
snow  white  cap  and  sides ;  these  are  mere  stains,  or  sometimes  definite, 
crystalline,  flake-like  bodies,  standing  out  in  plain  relief  on  the  spor- 
angial  wall,  or  lurking  in  the  larger  nodules  which  are  massed  along,- 
the  axis  of  the  cup  to  form  the  pseudo-columella  here  strongly  devel- 
oped, Mr,  Lister  calls  attention  to  these  yellow  flakes,  and  regards 
them  as  diagnostic,  European  specimens  show  the  capillitium  yellow, 
sometimes  throughout! 

The  nomenclature  question  is  here  somewhat  difficult.  Fries  heads 
his  list  of  synonyms  with  Peziza  convivalis  Batsch,  Batsch  simply 
described  Micheli's  figure!  Now  there  is  nothing  in  Micheli's  figure 
(PI.  86,  Fig,  14)  to  enable  one  to  say  with  certainty  which  craterium 
Micheli  had  in  mind,  if  craterium  at  all.     Nor  does  Batsch  help  the 


106  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

matter  when  he  offers  the  description  following:  "Stipitata;  acute 
conica,  patens;  stipite  subdistincto,  lineari,  brevi,  valido.  Albicans. 
In  foliis  hederae  putridts."  {Elenchus  Fungorum,  Batsch,  1783,  p. 
121.)  There  is  nothing  definitive  here  but  the  one  word  "albicans" 
quoted  from  Micheli.  But  this  term  is  applicable  the  rather  to  C. 
Tuinutum,  the  cups  of  which  whiten  with  weathering.  It  may  be, 
as  insisted  by  Fries  {Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  149),  that  Micheli  drew 
crateriums;  but  if  so,  we  cannot  determine  which  species. 

The  specific  name  here  adopted  was  applied  by  Persoon  probably 
to  this  form;  but  Persoon  likewise  failed  to  distinguish  the  present 
species  from  C.  minutum  (see  Syn.  Fung.,  pp.  183,  184),  and  Fries, 
op.  cit.,  p.  153.  Ditmar,  /.  c,  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  what  he  figures 
and  describes,  and  accordingly  the  name  he  first  correctly  uses  is  here 
adopted. 

Not  common.  New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  North  Caro- 
lina, Iowa,  Colorado,  Washington,  California;  reported  from 
Europe. 

4.     Craterium  cylindricum  Massee. 

Plate  XVI.,  Fig.  2. 

1873.     Craterium  minimum  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  67. 

1892.     Craterium  cylindricum   Massee,   Mon.,  p.  268. 

1894.     Craterium  leucocephalum  Ditm.,  List.,  Myc,  p.  72,   in  part. 

1899.     Craterium  minimum  Berk.  &  C,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  77. 

1911.  Craterium  leucocephalum  van  cylindricum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd 
ed.,  p.  97 

Sporangia  closely  gregarious,  very  small,  .5  yu.  or  less,  slender,  cylin- 
dric,  almost  entirely  white,  stipitate,  the  peridium  delicate,  trans- 
parent although  calcareous  nearly  to  the  base,  opening  by  a  de- 
hiscence regularly  circumscissile ;  stipe  short,  about  one-third  the 
total  height,  clear  orange-brown,  somewhat  furrowed,  rising  from  an 
indistinct  hypothallus ;  capillitium  very  lax,  physaroid,  the  calcareous 
nodules  large,  rounded,  pure  white,  aggregated  at  the  centre  of 
the  cup;  spore-mass  black,  spores  minutely  roughened,  violaceous- 
brown,  8-9  IX. 

This  is  the  common  form  in  the  United  States.  Massee  describes 
it  as  C.  cylindricum  Mass.,  and  it  seems  not  to  occur  in  Europe. 


CRATERWM  107 

Lister  has  put  it  in  with  C.  leucocephalum,  from  which  its  more 
delicate  structure  and  elegant  cylindrical  shape  certainly  distinguish 
it.  The  dehiscence  is  even  more  regular  than  in  the  preceding  spe- 
cies and  approaches  that  of  C.  minutum  Leers.,  with  bleached  forms 
of  which  it  must  not  be  confused.     N.  A.  F.,  1400. 

C.  minimum  Berk.  &  C.  has  here  priority.  Massee  regards  this 
name  as  indicating  a  distinct  species.  We  have  been  unable  to  deter- 
mine what  the  authors  really  had  before  them,  and  adopt  accordingly 
the  first  available  combination. 

New  England  to  Iowa  and  south ;  reported  also  from  the  orient. 

5.  Craterium  concinnum  Rex. 

1893.     Craterium  concinnum  Rex,  Proc.  Phila.  Acad.,  p.  370. 

Sporangia  scattered,  usually  minute,  broadly  funnel-shaped,  stipi- 
tate.  The  peridium  simple,  variously  colored  by  innate  lime  gran- 
ules, opening  by  a  regular  cap  or  operculum,  brownish  w^hite,  darkest 
in  the  centre,  always  more  or  less  convex;  stipe  equalling  the  cup  in 
height,  dark  brown,  longitudinally  ridged;  the  capillitium  a  close- 
meshed  network,  with  small  rounded  or  slightly  angular  masses  of 
ochre-brown  lime-granules,  larger  toward  the  centre;  spores  pale 
brown,  minutely  warted,  9-10  ju,. 

This  species  differs  from  the  following,  to  which  it  seems  most 
nearly  allied,  in  form,  color,  as  in  the  capillitium,  and  color  of  the 
spores.  In  habitat,  however,  it  seems  no  less  distinct,  being  found 
always  (?)  on  the  spines  of  decaying  chestnut-burs  lying  on  the 
ground,  and  in  company  with  that  other  peculiar  species  Lachno- 
bolus  globosus. 

The  range  is  probably  that  of  the  chestnut,  Castanea  dentata  Bork- 
hausen,  east  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

6.  Craterium  minutum  (Leers)  Fr. 

Plate  XV.,  Fig.  5. 

1775.  Peziza  minuta  Leers,  Fl.  Herborn,  p.  277. 

1797.  Craterium  pedunculatum  Trent.,  Roth.,   Catal.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  224. 

1813.  Craterium  vulgare  Ditmar,  Sturm,  Deutsch.  Fl.  Pilze,  p.  17. 

1829.  Craterium  pedunculatum  Trent.,  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  150, 

1829.  Craterium  minutum  Leers,  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  IIL,  p.  151. 


108  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

1893,  Craterium  pedunculatum  Trent.,  Macbr.,  BuU.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  loiva, 
II.,  p.  385. 

1894.  Craterium  pedunculatum  Trent,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  70. 
1899.     Craterium  minutum    (Leers)    Fr.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  78. 
1911.     Craterium  minutum  Fr.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  94, 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  cyathiform  or  turbinate,  grayish 
brown,  stipitate,  the  peridial  wall  rather  thick,  double,  opening  by  a 
distinct  lid  which  lies  usually  below  the  slightly  thickened  and  everted 
margin  of  the  cup ;  stipe  paler,  translucent,  about  equalling  in  height 
the  peridial  cup,  longitudinally  wrinkled,  with  hypothallus  scant  or 
none;  capillitium  physaroid,  the  calcareous  nodules  large,  white,  and 
generally  aggregated  at  the  centre  of  the  cup ;  spore-mass  black,  spores 
by  transmitted  light  violaceous,  minutely  warted,  8-10  yu,. 

This  is  the  most  highly  differentiated  of  the  whole  series.  The 
cup  is  shapely  and  well  defined,  while  the  lid  is  not  only  distinct,  but 
is  a  thin,  delicate  membrane  of  slightly  different  structure  when  com- 
pared with  the  peridial  wall.  It  is  in  all  the  specimens  before  us 
much  depressed  below  the  mouth  of  the  sporangium,  and  the  whole 
structure  in  our  specimens  corresponds  with  Fries'  description  of  C. 
pendunculatum.  Trent.,  while  specimens  received  from  Europe  cor- 
respond to  Fries'  account  of  C.  minutum  Leers.  Nevertheless  we  are 
assured  that  the  two  forms  are  in  Europe  developed  from  the  same 
Plasmodium,  and  therefore  adopt  the  earlier  specific  name  as  above. 
N.  A.  F.,  2500.  This  is  probably  Fungoides  cojivivalis  of  Batsch 
and  Micheli. 

In  this  species  yellow  sporangia  are  sometimes  seen.  Miss  Currie 
reports  from  Toronto  such  variation  and  in  Europe  the  case  seems 
not  unusual. 

In  fact,  there  is  a  yellow  tinge  about  the  sporangia  of  every  species 
listed  here,  except  the  first.  With  the  same  exception,  the  Plasmo- 
dium in  every  case  is  yellow. 

Common  throughout  the  eastern  United  States,  west  to  Iowa, 
Colorado,  and  south  to  Louisiana;  cosmopolitan. 

5.      Physarella   Peck. 
1882.    Physarella  Peck.,  Bull.  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  IX.,  p.  61. 

Sporangium  pervious  to  the  base,  the  interior  walls  forming  a  per- 
sistent  spurious  columella;  capillitium  composed  of  filaments  with 


PHYSARELLA  109 

here  and  there  minute  knot-like  thickenings,  straight  tubes  containing 
lime-granules  extending  from  the  exterior  to  the  interior  walls  of  the 
sporangium,  persistently  attached  to  the  former.^ 

Such  is  Dr.  Peck's  original  description  of  this  most  peculiar  genus. 
The  form  of  the  sporangium  in  the  only  species  is  very  variable,  but 
in  typical  cases  is  vasiform,  the  peridial  wall  at  the  apex  introverted. 
The  capillitium  is  like  that  of  Tibnadoche,  except  for  the  presence  of 
the  "straight  tubes"  emphasized  in  the  original  description.  These 
are  very  remarkable  and  at  once  diagnostic.  They  take  origin  in  the 
sporangial  wall  and  pass  across  to  the  "columella" ;  but  at  the  de- 
hiscence of  the  sporangium,  in  typical  cases,  they  remain  attached  at 
the  points  of  origin,  projecting  as  stout  spine-like  processes. 

Physarella  oblonga  (Berk.  &  C.)  Morg. 

Plate  VIII.,  Figs.  4,  4a,  4^  4<:;  Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  1,  1  a,  1  b,  and  6. 

1873.  Trichamphora  oblonga  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  66. 

1876.  Tilmadoche  oblonga   (Berk.  &  C.)   Rost.,  Mon.  A  pp.,  p.  13. 

1876.  Tilmadoche  hians  Rost.,  Mon.  App.,  p  14. 

1882.  Physarella  mirabilis  Peck,  Bull.  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  IX.,  p.  61. 

1893.  Physarella  oblonga  (Berk.  &  C.)   Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  79. 

1894.  Physarella  mirabilis  Peck,  List.,  Mycet.,  p.  68. 

1899.     Physarella  oblonga  (Berk.  &  C.)   Morg.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  71. 
1911.    Physarella  oblonga  Morg.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  91. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  typically  cup-shaped  or  sub- 
infundibuliform,  stipitate,  erect  or  cernuous,  but  varying  through 
low  salver-shaped  cups,  to  irregular  applanate  and  sessile  masses,  the 
peridium  thin  but  firm,  tawny,  roughened  by  numerous  yellowish 
calcareous  scales,  at  length  ruptured  above  and  often  reflexed  in  the 
form  of  petal-like  segments  from  which  project  upwards  the  spiniform 
trabecules  of  the  capillitium;  stipe  when  present  long,  terete,  red, 
arising  from  a  scant  hypothallus  and  extended  within  the  sporangium 
to  meet  the  tubular  "columella" ;  capillitium  of  delicate  violaceous 
threads  seldom  branched  or  united,  radiating  from  the  columella  with 
few  calcareous  nodular  expansions,  but  supported  by  stout  yellow  cal- 
careous trabecules,  running  parallel  to  the  capillitial  threads,  long 
adherent  to  the  sporangial  wall ;  spores  smooth,  globose  violet-brown, 
7-8  fx. 

1  These  little  structures  have  a  fairly  architectural  appearance  and  may  be 
called  trabecules, —  trabecule,  little  beams. 


110  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Not  uncommon  in  wet  places.  New  York,  Ohio,  Iowa,  South 
Dakota,  Louisiana,  Nicaragua;  reported  also  from  Ceylon,  Java,  etc. 

Not  the  least  remarkable  feature  of  this  remarkable  species  is  the 
variation  in  the  form  of  the  fruit  or  sporangia.  We  have  specimens 
from  Louisiana  (Rev.  Langlois)  which  show  no  trace  of  columella, 
the  whole  structure  involute  and  plicate,  short  stipitate,  recalling  the 
extremest  complexity  of  such  a  species  as  P.  polycepholum.  Fid.  PL 
XVL,  Fig.  6.  Moreover,  in  these  specimens  the  calcareous  deposits 
are  white  and  not  yellow,  giving  the  entire  fructification  a  grayish 
aspect.  Yet  there  is  no  doubt  we  have  here  simply  an  exaggerated  ab- 
normality of  the  species;  the  spores  are  identical  in  size,  color,  and 
surface.  Plasmodium  bright  yellow.  Dr.  Peck  gave  to  his  forms  the 
name  Physarella  mirabilis;  but  specimens  sent  by  Michener  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  by  Berkeley  and  Curtis  described  as  Trichamphora 
oblonga  {Grev.,  II.,  p.  66),  are  the  same  thing.    N.  A.  F.,  1212. 

Physarella  lusitanica  Torrend  is  a  globose  form  depressed  above  or 
betimes  discoidal,  occurring  on  Eucalyptus  trees  in  Portugal.  P.  ob- 
longa is  so  variable  in  form  that  it  sometimes  suggests  a  different 
genus.  Forms  of  it  have  been  mistaken  for  Fuligo  gyrosa  R.,  etc. 
Professor  Torrend  would  include  here  Physarum  javanicum  (Rac), 
i.  e.  Tilmadoche  javanica  as  Raciborski  saw  it!  We  may  not  too 
often  reflect  that  genera  are  purely  artificial  things  set  up  for  our 
convenience;  but  surely  Physarella  as  a  natural  genus  is  distinct 
enough  to  all. 

Cienkowskia  Rost. 

1873.     Cienkoivskia  RosL,  Versuch,  p.  9. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  irregularly  dehiscent,  the  wall  a 
thin  cartilaginous  membrane  destitute  of  lime,  except  the  capillitial 
attachments  within ;  capillitium  scanty  but  rigid,  and  characterized 
everywhere  by  peculiar  hook-like  branchlets,  free  and  sharp-pointed, 
the  spores  as  in  Physarum,  etc. 

The  genus  contains,  so  far,  but  a  single  species :  — 


CIENKOJVSKIA  111 

ClENKOWSKIA  RETICULATA    (Alb.   &  SchlV.)   Rost. 

Plate  XIV.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b. 

1805.    Physarum  reticulatum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Cons.  Fung.,  p.  90. 

1829.     Diderma  reticulatum  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  112. 

1873.     Cienkoivskia  reticulata   (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  9. 

Plasmodiocarp  an  elongated,  irregularly  limited,  close-meshed  net, 
closely  applied  to  the  substratum,  the  wall  thin,  transversely  rugulose, 
and  roughened,  dull  orange-yellow,  splashed  here  and  there  with 
scarlet,  anon  entirely  red,  within  marked  by  transverse  calcareous 
ridges,  supporting  in  part  the  calcareous  system  of  the  capillitium ; 
capillitium  of  delicate,  rigid,  reticulating  yellow  tubules  or  threads 
with  numerous  free,  uncinate  or  sickle-shaped  branchlets,  and  large, 
irregular,  calcareous  plates,  more  or  less  transverse  to  the  axis  of  the 
sporangium,  attached  to  the  peridial  walls,  as  if  to  form  septa,  ordi- 
nary calcareous  nodules  few;  spore-mass  jet-black,  spores,  by  trans- 
mitted light,  violaceous,  minutely  roughened,  9-10  /x. 

A  very  rare  species,  as  it  appears,  easily  recognized  by  the  Codding- 
ton  even,  much  more  by  the  microscopic  characters  quoted ;  probably 
often  overlooked  by  the  collector,  as  to  the  naked  eye  it  presents  the 
appearance  of  some  imperfectly  developed,  dried-up  Plasmodium. 
Very  unlike  Physarum  serpula  Morgan,  not  infrequently  offered  by 
collectors  as  Cienkoivskia.  It  is  Diderma  reticulatum  of  Fries,  who, 
strangely  enough,  thought  it  might  be  a  plasmodial  phase  of  Diderma 
(i.  e.  Leocarpus)  fragile  (Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  102). 

Eastern  United  States,  Europe,  Java,  Ceylon,  California.  See 
under  L.  fragilis,  next  following. 

7.     Leocarpus  (Link)  Rost. 

1809.    Leocarpus  Link,  Diss.,  I.,  p.  25. 

Sporangia  sessile,  or  short  stipitate ;  peridial  wall  double,  the  outer 
thick,  destitute  of  lime,  polished,  shining  within  and  without,  the 
inner  very  delicate,  enclosing  the  capillitium  and  spores;  capillitium 
of  two,  more  or  less,  distinct  systems,  the  one  a  delicate  network  of 
hyaline,  limeless  threads,  the  other  calcareous  throughout,  or  nearly 
so,  the  meshes  large  and  the  threads  or  tubules  broad ;  columella 
none,  although  a  pseudo-columella  may  sometimes  be  detected. 


112  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

This  genus  was  by  Link  established  on  characters  purely  external. 
Rostafinski  supplemented  Link's  definition  by  calling  attention  to  the 
peculiar  character  of  the  capillitium  and  to  microscopic  characters  in 
general.  The  outer  peridium  is  thick  and  strong,  unlike  the  ordinary 
structure  in  Physarum.  Some  physarums,  however,  have  a  very  sim- 
ilar outer  wall;  P.  brunneolum,  for  instance;  compare  the  perid- 
ium of  P.  citrinellum.  In  dehiscence  and  structure  there  is  also 
some  resemblance  to  some  species  of  Diderma,  and  by  Persoon  and 
Fries  the  common  species  was  so  referred,  but  the  capillitium  is  again 
definitive. 

A  critical  study  of  all  these  things  really  begins  with  Rostafinski's 
microscope.  Under  his  definition  of  the  present  genus  P.  squamulo- 
sum  Wingate  and  P.  albescens  Ell.  might  well  be  entered  here.  Such 
course  at  present  would  but  increase  confusion,  and  until  by  future 
research  the  ontogeny  of  all  these,  and  so  their  relationship,  shall  be 
more  exactly  known,  the  genus  may  be  left  with  its  historic  species, — 
montotypic. 

Leocarpus  fragilis  (Dickson)  Rost. 

Plate  VIII.,  Figs.  3,  3  a,  i  b. 

1785.  Lycoperdon  fragile  Dickson,  Fasc.  PL  Crypt.  Brit,  I.,  p.  25. 

1795.  Diderma  vernicosum  Persoon,   Ust.  Ann.  Bot.,  XV.,  p.  34. 

1809.  Leocarpus  vernicosum  Link,  Diss.,  I.,  p.  25. 

1875.  Leocarpus  fragilis   (Dicks.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  132. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  clustered,  sessile  or  stipitate,  obovoid, 
rusty  or  spadiceous-yellow,  shining;  peridium  opening  at  maturity  in 
somewhat  stellate  fashion ;  stipe  filiform,  white  or  yellow,  weak  and 
short;  spores  dull  black,  spinulose,  12-14  fi. 

A  common  species,  distributed  through  all  the  world,  Iowa  to 
Tasmania.  Recognizable  at  sight  by  the  form  and  color  of  the 
sporangia.  In  shape  and  posture  these  resemble  the  eggs  of  certain 
insects,  and,  occurring  upon  dead  leaves,  generally  where  these  have 
drifted  against  a  rotten  log,  they  might  perchance  be  mistaken  for 
such  structures.  With  no  other  slime-moulds  are  they  likely  to  be 
confused.      The   outer   peridium   opens   irregularly,   or  more    rarely 


DIDYMIACEM  113 

stellately.  At  centre  of  the  capillitium  is  a  calcareous  core.  The 
Plasmodium  is  yellowish  white,  spread  in  rich  and  beautiful  reticula- 
tions.   N.A.  F.,  1123. 

A  plasmodiform  gathering  of  this  species  which  will  be  mistaken 
for  an  entirely  diflferent  thing,  is  yellow,  sessile,  and  has  adherent 
spores;  looks  like  a  badhamia,  but  is  after  all  a  leocarpus  and  prob- 
ably belongs  here.  The  spores  are  irregularly  clustered  and  the 
badhamioid  section  of  the  capillitium  seems  now  dominant. 

California. 

B.    DIDYMIACE/E 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Didymiaceae 

1.  Fructification  asthaliold    - 1.     Mucilago 

2.  Fructification    plasmodiocarpous,    or   forming   more   often    distinct   spo- 

rangia. 

a.  Calcareous  deposits  crystalline,  stellate      .        .        2.    Didymium 

b.  Calcareous  deposits  amorphous,   peridium  double       3.     Diderma 

c.  Calcareous  deposits  in  form  of  scattered  scales     4.    Lepidoderma 

d.  Peridium  double,  the  outer  gelatinous     .        .         5.     CoUoderma 

1.     Mucilago   (Mich.)  Adans. 

1729.     Mucilago  Micheli,  Nov.  PI.  Gen.,  in  part. 

1763.     Mucilago   (Mich.)   Adanson,  Fam.  des  PL,  II.,  p.  7. 

1791.     Spumaria  Pers.  in  Gmelin,  Syst.  Nat.,  II.,  p.  1466. 

Fructification  asthalioid,  consisting  generally  of  large  cushion- 
shaped  masses  covered  without  by  a  white  foam-like  crust;  within, 
composed  of  numerous  tubular  sporangia,  developed  from  a  common 
hypothallus,  irregularly  branched,  contorted  and  more  or  less  con- 
fluent; the  peridial  wall  thin,  delicate,  frosted  with  stellate  lime- 
crystals,  which  mark  in  section  the  boundaries  of  the  several  sporan- 
gia; capillitium  of  delicate  threads,  generally  only  slightly  branched, 
terminating  in  the  sporangial  wall,  marked  with  occasional  swellings 
or  thickenings. 

By  the  descriptions  offered  by  most  authors,  and  especially  by  Ros- 
tafinski's  figures  {Mon.,  PI.  ix.),  a  pronounced  columella  is  called  for 
in  the  structure  of  Spumaria.  The  individual  sporangia  rise  from  a 
common  hypothallus,  and  occasionally  portions  of  this  run  up  and 


114  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

give  to  a  sporangium  the  appearance  of  being  stipitate.  Sometimes 
also  this  upper  extension  of  the  hypothalline  protoplasm  passes  be- 
yond or  behind  the  base  of  the  sporangium  or  between  two  or  more, 
and  is  more  or  less  embraced  by  these  in  their  confluent  flexures. 
This,  it  seems,  suggested  Rostafinski's  elaborate  diagram,  Fig.  158; 
at  least,  none  other  form  of  columella  is  shown  by  American  mate- 
rials at  hand. 

1.     MuciLAGO  SPONGIOSA  (Leyss.)  Morgan. 

1783.  Mucor  spongiosus  Leysser,  Fl.  Hal,  p.  305. 

1791.  Reticularia  alba  Bull.,  C.  FL  France,  p.  92. 

1791.  Spumaria  mucilago  Pers.,   Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,   II.,    1466. 

1805.  Spumaria  alba   (Bull.)   DC,  FL  Fr.,  II.,  p.  261. 

1897.  Mucilago  spongiosa   (Leyss.)   Morg.,  Bot.  Gaz.,  XXIV.,  p.  56. 

-^thalium  white  or  cream-colored,  of  variable  size  and  shape,  half- 
an-inch  to  three  inches  in  length  and  half  as  thick,  the  component 
sporangia  resting  upon  a  common  hypothallus  and  protected  by  a 
more  or  less  deciduous  calcareous  porous  cortex ;  peridial  walls  thin, 
and  where  exposed  iridescent,  generally  whitened  by  a  thin  coating  of 
lime  crystals;  capillitium  scanty,  of  simple,  mostly  dark-colored, 
slightly  anastomosing  thieads;  columella  indefinite  or  none;  hypo- 
thallus white,  spongy;  spore-mass  black,  spores  violaceous,  exceedingly 
rough,  large,  12-15  fi. 

Very  comhnon  in  all  the  eastern  United  States  and  the  Mississippi 
valley,  south  to  Texas.  The  Plasmodium  is  dull  white,  of  the  con- 
sistence of  cream,  and  is  often  met  with  in  quantity  on  beds  of  decay- 
ing leaves  in  the  woods.  In  fruiting  the  Plasmodium  ascends  prefer- 
ably living  stems  of  small  bushes,  herbaceous  plants,  or  grasses,  and 
forms  the  aethalium  around  the  stem  some  distance  above  the  ground. 
The  cortex  varies  in  amount,  is  also  deciduous,  so  that  weathered  or 
imperfectly  developed  forms  probably  represent  the  var.  S.  cornuta 
Schum. 

Two  varieties  of  this  species  are  recognized ;  the  one  from  Bolivia, 
var.  dictyospora  described  by  Mr.  R.  E.  Fries  {Arkiv.  for  Botanik 
Bd.  1,  p.  66)  differs  from  the  type  chiefly  in  its  finer  capillitial 
threads  its  darker  spores  with  longer  spines  and  fine  reticulate  sculp- 
ture; the  other  from  Colorado,  var.  solida  described  by   Professor 


DIDYMWM  115 

Sturgis  differs,  as  the  name  implies,  principally  in  its  greater  com- 
pactness  and   slightly   smaller   calcareous   crystals;    a   desert   phase. 

2.     Didymium   (Schrad.)  Fr. 

1797.     Didymium  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  Plant.,  p.  20,  in  part. 
1829.     Didymium   (Schrad.)    Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.   113. 
1875.     Didymium   (Schrad.)   DeBy.,  Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  13. 

Sporangia  distinct,  stipitate,  sessile  or  even  plasmodiocarpous,  never 
asthalioid ;  the  peridium  thin,  irregular  in  dehiscence,  covered  with  a 
more  or  less  dense  coating  of  calcareous  crystals;  columella  more  fre- 
quently present;  capillitium  of  delicate  threads,  simple  or  sparingly 
branched,  extending  from  the  columella  to  the  peridial  wall. 

The  genus  Didymiurn,  as  set  up  by  Schrader  /.  c,  included  a  num- 
ber of  species  now  assigned  to  Diderma,  Lepidoderma  or  Lamproder- 
ma.  Fries  set  out  the  didermas;  DeBary  and  Rostafinski  completed 
the  revision  by  setting  out  the  remaining  alien  forms. 

The  genus  is  among  Myxomycetes  instantly  recognized  by  the 
peculiar  form  of  its  calcareous  deposits,  stellate  crystals  coating,  or 
merely  frosting,  usually  distinct  sporangia. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Didymium 

1.     Lime-crystals  merely  whitening  the  peridial  wall. 

A.  Fructification  plasmodiocarpous. 

a.  White. 

*  Capillitium  with  adherent  vesicles    1.   D.  complanatum 
**  Capillitium  simple      .         .        .         .         2.     D.  anellus 
***  Capillitium  much  combined;  spores  10-13  A^ 

3.     D.  luilczehii 
****  Capillitium  crystal-bearing       .         18a.     D.  anomalum 

b.  Yellow  or  tawny 4.     D.  fulvum 

B.  Fructification   normally  of   distinct  sporangia. 

a.  Sporangia   sessile   or   nearly   so;    outer  calcareous   wall    con- 

spicuously developed  ....         5.     Z?.  crustaceum 

b.  Sporangia   plainly  stipitate. 

i.     Peridium  much  depressed;  umbilicate  below. 

*  Stipe  white   .         .         .         6.    D.  squamulosum 
**  Stipe  black. 

t  Larger,   about  7.5-1   mm. 

7.     D.  mclanospermum 

ft  Small,  about  .5  mm.      .         8.     D.  minus 

ttt  Sporangia  discoid        .        9.     D.  clavus 


.    D 

'.  annulatum 

15. 

D. 

.  dubium 

16. 

D. 

difforme 

17. 

D. 

quitense 

116  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ii.     Peridium  small,  globose. 

*  Stipe  dark  brown  or  black;  columella  dark,  ob- 
solete or  none  .         .         .         10.     D.  nigripes 
**  Stipe  generally  paler,  of  various  tints  of  brown, 
orange,  etc. 

t  Columella  pale  or  white,  nearly  smooth 
11.    D.  xanthopus 
tt  Columella,  yellow,  discoid,  rough 

12.    D.  eximium 
iii.     Peridium   turbinate,   columella   hemispheric 

13.     D.  trochus 
iv.     Peridium  annulate      ...         14. 
2.     Calcareous  crystals  forming  a  distinct  crust. 

A.  Fructification  wholly  plasmodiocarpous 

B.  Sporangia  ill-defined,  sessile,  plasmodiocarpous. 

a.  Spores  generally  nearly  smooth 

b.  Spores  very  rough,  obscurely  banded 

EXTRA-LIMITAL 

a.     Sporangia   discoid,   spores   reticulate  19.   D.   intermedium 

h.     Stipe,  columella,  peridium,  orange-brown       20.    D.  leoninum 

1.      DiDYMIUM    COMPLANATUM    (Batsch)    Rost. 

Plate  XVI.,  Fig.  8. 

1786.  Lycoperdon  complanatum  Batsch,  Elench.  Fung.,  I.,  p.  251. 

1829.  Didymium  serpula  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc.,  III.,  p.  126,  Rost.,  A  pp.,  p.  21. 

1875.  Didymium  complanatum    (Batsch),  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  151. 

1899.  Didymium  complanatum    (Batsch)   R.,  Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  85. 

1911.  Didymium  complanatum  Rost,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  127. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  creeping,  flattened,  vein-like,  an- 
nulate or  reticulate,  the  dark-colored  peridium  covered  with  white, 
but  not  numerous  crystals;  hypothallus  none;  columella  none;  capil- 
litium  much  branched,  violaceous  threads  combined  to  form  a  rather* 
dense  net  which  bears  numerous,  peculiar,  rounded  vesicles,  yellowish 
in  color,  30-50  fi  in  diameter;  spores  minutely  warted,  7-9  jx,  viola- 
ceous-brown. 

The  defining  characteristics  here  are  the  curious  supplementary 
vesicles.  These  are  evidently  plasmodic,  embraced,  shot-through,  by 
all  the  neighboring  capillitial  threads,  withal  warted  like  a  spore. 
They  remind  of  the  curious,  belated,  spore-like  but  giant  cells  found 
in  stipes,  as  in  arcyriaceous  forms.    With  all  the  wealth  of  his  prolix, 


DIDYMIUM  117 

poetic,  metaphoric  tongue,  the  Polish  author  gives  them  abundant  con- 
sideration. In  the  Mon.,  Tab.  IX.,  Figs.  166  and  180,  he  clearly 
shows  the  structure,  although  in  the  explanation  of  the  plate  he  has 
strangely  mixed  this  species  with  D.  crustaceum  Fr.  Under  D. 
serpula  Fries  may  refer  to  the  present  species,  although  there  is  noth- 
ing in  his  description  to  determine  the  fact.  The  same  thing  may  be 
said  of  the  description  and  figures  of  Batsch.  Rostafinski,  in  the 
Monograph,  seems  to  have  been  satisfied  as  to  the  identity  of  Batsch's 
materials :  in  the  Appendix,  he  writes  D.  serpula,  but  gives  no  reason. 
Rare.     New  York.     England,  France,  Germany. 

2.     DlDYMlUM  ANELLUS  Morgan. 

Plate  XVIIL,  Fig.  7. 

1894.  Didymium  anellus  Morgan,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  64. 
1899.  Didymium  anellus  Morg.,  Macbr,,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  85. 
1911.     Didymium  anellus  Morg.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.   134. 

Plasmodiocarp  in  small  rings  or  links,  then  confluent  and  elongated, 
irregularly  connected  together,  bent  and  flexuous,  resting  on  a  thin 
venulose  hypothallus,  or  sometimes  globose,  the  peridium  dark  col- 
ored, with  a  thin  layer  of  stellate  crystals,  irregularly  ruptured; 
capillitium  of  slender,  dark-colored  threads,  which  extend  from  base 
to  wall,  more  or  less  branched,  and  combined  into  a  loose  net ;  colu- 
mella a  thin  layer  of  brown  scales;  spores  globose,  very  minutely 
warted,  violaceous,  8-9  ji.. 

This  minute  species  resembles  a  poorly  developed,  or  sessile,  phase 
of  D.  melanospermum.  Some  of  the  sporangia  (?)  are  spherical; 
such  show  a  very  short  dark  stalk.  The  columella  is  scant,  and  the 
spores  are  smaller  than  those  of  D.  melanospermum. 

Ohio.     Reported  more  recently  from  Europe  and  Ceylon. 

3.     Didymium  wilczekii  Meylan. 

1908.     Didymium  ivilczekit  Meyl.,  Bull.  Soc.  Vaud.  Sci.  Nat.,  XLIV.,  p.  290. 
1911.     Didymium  ivilczekii  Meyl.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  134. 

Plasmodiocarpous,  dehiscing  irregularly,  columella  scant ;  capil- 
litium abundant,  the  threads  brown,  anastomosing,  forming  an  elastic 
net;  spores  purple-brown,  minutely  spinulose,  10-12  jx. 


118  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Resembling  plasmodiocarpous  forms  of  D.  squamulosum,  a  mon- 
tane var. ;  small  and  delicate,  our  specimen  about  16X6  mm.  Evi- 
dently not  common;  collected  but  once  by  Professor  Bethel  at  an 
altitude  of  11,000  feet.  Rocky  Mountains  of  Colorado. 

Reported  in  Switzerland  and  Sweden. 

In  certain  Swiss  gatherings  made  in  1913  Miss  Lister  finds  capil- 
litial  threads  with  spiral  taenias  as  in  Trichia!  {Jour,  of  Bot.,  Apr. 
1914.)  The  threads  in  our  specimen  are  roughened,  somewhat  as  in 
D.  squamulosum,  though  less  strongly;  the  spores  are  nearly  smooth, 
fuliginous  at  first,  paler  and  violaceous  when  saturate. 

4.  DiDYMIUM   FULVUM   Sturgis. 

1917.     Didymium  fulvum  Sturgis,  Mycologia,  IX.,  p.  37. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sessile,  elongate  or  forming  curved  plasmo- 
diocarps,  sometimes  confluent,  rarely  subglobose,  concave  beneath, 
pale-raw-umber  in  color,  0.5-0.8  mm.  in  diameter,  occasionally  seated 
on  a  concolorous,  membranous,  lime-encrusted  hypothallus  which  may 
form  pseudo-stalks;  sporangium  wall  membranous,  stained  with  yel- 
low blotches,  thickly  sprinkled  with  clusters  of  large  acicular  crystals 
of  pale-yellowish  lime;  columella  very  much  flattened  or  obsolete; 
capillitium  an  abundant  network  of  delicate,  almost  straight  or  flexu- 
ose,  pale-purple  or  nearly  hyaline  threads,  frequently  with  dark, 
calyciform  thickenings  as  in  Mucilago,  and  occasionally  showing 
fusiform,  crystalline  blisters;  spores  dark-purplish-brown,  coarsely 
tuberculate,  the  tubercles  usually  arranged  in  curved  lines,  paler  and 
smoother  on  one  side,  12.5  to  14.5  /x.     Colorado. 

5.  Didymium  crustaceum  Fr. 

1829.    Didymium  crustaceum  Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  124. 

Sporangia  closely  aggregated,  globose,  or  by  compression  deformed, 
sessile,  snow-white,  by  virtue  of  the  remarkably  developed  covering 
of  calcareous  crystals  by  which  each  sporangium  is  surrounded  as  if 
to  form  a  crust,  the  peridium  membranous,  colorless,  usually  shrunk- 
en above  and  depressed;  columella  pale,  small,  or  obsolete;  hypothal- 
lus scant  or  vanishing;  capillitium  of  rather  stout  violaceous  threads 
seldom  branched  except  at  the  tips,  where  they  are  pale  and  often 


DIDYMIUM  119 

bifid,  or  more  than  once  di'chotomously  divided ;  spores  strongly 
warted,  globose,  violet-brown,  10-13  /x. 

This  species  has  in  some  ways  all  the  outward  seeming  of  a 
diderma,  but  cannot  be  referred  to  that  genus  because  of  the  crystal- 
line character  of  its  crust.  This  is  a  very  marked  structure;  loosely 
built  up  of  very  large  crystals,  it  is  necessarily  extremely  frail,  never- 
theless persists,  arching  over  at  a  considerable  distance  above  the 
peridium  proper.    Sometimes,  however,  caducous,  evanescent. 

The  sporangia  are  said  to  be  sometimes  stipitate.  This  feature 
does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  material  before  us.  Lister  in  Myceto- 
zoa  PL  XL.,  c.  draws  the  capillitium  much  more  delicate  than  it 
appears  in  our  specimens.  The  hypothallus  is  sometimes  noticeable 
under  some  of  the  sporangia  where  closely  crowded,  but  is  not  a 
constant  feature. 

Rostafinski  (by  typographical  error?)  confused  in  the  Monograph, 
pp.  164,  165,  this  species  with  Persoon's  Physarum  confiuens.  In 
the  Appendix  he  substitutes  the  Friesian  nomenclature.  Persoon's 
description  of  his  species  is  insufficient,  and  throws  no  light  on  the 
problem  whatever. 

Rare.  Iowa;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota.  Reported  common  in 
Europe.  Canada;  Vancouver  Island  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

6.      DiDYMIUM  SQUAMULOSUM   (Alb.  £j  Schw.)  Fries. 

1805.  Diderma  squamulosum  Alb.  &  Schw.,   Consp.  Fung.,  p.  88. 

1816.  Didymium  effusum  Link,  Diss.,  II.,  p.  42. 

1829.  Didymium  squamulosum  (Alb.  &  Schw.),  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III., 
p.  118. 

1875.  Didymium  effusum  (Link)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  163. 

1894.  Didymium  effusum    (Link)   List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  99. 

Sporangia,  in  typical  forms,  gregarious,  globose  or  depressed- 
globose,  gray  or  snow-white,  stipitate ;  the  peridium  a  thin  iridescent 
membrane  covered  more  or  less  richly  with  minute  crystals  of  lime; 
the  stipe  when  present,  snow-white,  fluted  or  channelled,  stout,  even ; 
columella  white,  conspicuous;  hypothallus  usually  small  or  obsolete; 
capillitium  of  delicate  branching  threads,  usually  colorless  or  pallid, 
sometimes  with  conspicuous  calyciform  thickenings ;  spores  violaceous, 
minutely  warted  or  spinulose,  8-10  ju. 


120  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

This,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  species  in  the  whole  series,  is  re- 
markable for  the  variations  which  it  presents  in  the  fruiting  phase. 
These  range  all  the  way  from  the  simplest  and  plainest  kind  of  a 
plasmodiocarp  with  only  the  most  delicate  frosting  of  calcareous 
crystals  up  through  more  or  less  confluent  sessile  sporangia  to  well- 
defined  elegantly  stipitate,  globose  fruits,  where  the  lime  is  some- 
times so  abundant  as  to  form  deciduous  flaky  scales.  The  hypothallus, 
sometimes  entirely  wanting,  is  anon  well  developed,  even  continuous, 
venulose,  from  stipe  to  stipe.  The  capillitium  varies  much  in  abun- 
dance as  in  color ;  when  scanty,  it  is  colorless  and  in  every  way  more 
delicate,  when  abundant,  darker  in  color  and  sometimes  with  stronger 
thickenings. 

D.  fuckeliaiium  Rost.,  as  shown  in  A^.  A.  F.,  2090,  and  in  some 
private  collections,  seems  to  be  a  rather  stout  phase  of  the  present 
species;  the  stipe  is  more  abundantly  and  deeply  plicate,  is  sometimes 
tinged  with  brown,  and  the  capillitium  is  darker  colored  and  coarser 
than  in  what  is  here  regarded  as  the  type  of  the  species;  but  withal 
the  specimens  certainly  fail  to  meet  the  requirements  of  Rostafinski's 
elaborate  description  and  figure,  Mon.,  p.  161  and  Fig.  154. 

D.  effusum  Link,  probably  stands  for  a  sessile  form  of  this  species, 
but  Link's  brief  description  (1816)  is  antedated  by  the  much  better 
one  of  Albertini  and  Schweinitz,  /.  c. 

Generally  distributed  throughout  the  wooded  regions  of  North 
America,  from  New  England  to  Nicaragua,  and  from  Canada  to 
California.  Not  uncommon  about  stable-manure  heaps,  in  flower 
beds,  and  on  richly  manured  lands.     July,  August. 

Nicaragua  specimens  not  only  show  a  continuous  vein-like  hypo- 
thallus, but  have  the  peridia  often  confluent,  the  columellae  in  such 
cases  confluent,  the  stipes  distinct.  Furthermore,  the  largest  spores 
reach  the  limit  of  12.5  /x,  and  perhaps  the  larger  number  range  from 
10-12.5  fx,  and  all  are  very  rough.  This  corresponds  with  D.  macro- 
spermum  Rost.,  which  is  distinguished,  says  the  author  {Mon.,  p. 
162,  opis),  "chiefly  by  the  large  and  strongly  spinulose  spores." 
However,  the  same  sporangium  in  our  Central  American  specimens 
yield  spores  9.5-12.5  fi,  a  remarkable  range.  So  that  D.  macro- 
spermum  on  this  side  the  ocean,  at  least,  cannot  be  distinguished  from 


DIDYMIUM  121 

D.  squamulosum,  as  far  as  spores  are  concerned.  A  similar  remark 
may  be  made  relative  to  the  form  of  the  columella  which  Rostafinski, 
in  his  figures  especially,  would  make  diagnostic.  The  columella  in 
the  sporangia  with  largest  and  roughest  spores  is  that  of  a  perfectly 
normal  D.  squarnulosum. 

7.  DiDYMiUM  MELANOSPERMUM   (Pers.)  Macbr. 

Plate  VII.,  Figs.  3,  3  a. 

1794.     Physarum  melanospermum  Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  p.  89. 
1797.     Didymium  farinacemn  Schrader,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  26,  t.  5,  Fig.  6. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  hemispheric,  depressed,  umbilicate  below, 
stipitate  or  sessile;  the  peridium  firm,  dull  brown  in  color,  frosted 
with  minute  crystals  of  lime,  breaking  irregularly;  stipe,  when  pres- 
ent, short,  stout,  dull  black,  opaque,  arising  from  a  broad  base  or 
hypothallus;  columella  large,  prominent;  dark-colored,  rough  above, 
concave  below;  capillitium  of  more  or  less  sinuous,  usually  dark- 
colored  threads,  sparingly  branched,  and  often  with  calyciform  thick- 
enings; spore-mass  black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  purplish- 
gray,  spinulose  or  rough,  10-12  jx. 

A  well-marked  and  common  species,  distinguished  by  its  depressed 
sporangium  and  dark-colored,  opaque  stipe.  The  latter  is  usually 
very  short,  almost  completely  concealed  in  the  concavity  of  the  umbili- 
cate sporangium.  The  columella  is  dark-colored,  forming  the  floor 
of  the  peridial  cavity. 

Persoon  first  named  this  species  as  here.  Later  on,  lister's  Ann., 
XV.,  6,  he  substituted  villosum  as  a  more  appropriate  specific  name. 
Schrader  rejects  both  names  given  by  Persoon  as  unsuitable,  and 
suggests  farinaceum.     Schrad.,  op.  cit.,  p.  27. 

New  England,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Alabama,  Iowa,  Nebraska; 
Europe;  probably  cosmopolitan. 

8.  Didymium  minus  Lister. 

Plate  X.,  Figs.  4,  4  a,  4  h. 

1892.    Didymium  farinaceum  Schr.,  var.  minus,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  97. 
1896.     Didymium  minus  List.,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  61. 
1899.    Didymium  minus  List.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  89. 


122  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  gregarious,  depressed-globose,  umbilicate  below,  whitish 
or  gray,  small,  about  >4  mm.,  stipitate;  stipe  erect,  rather  slender, 
black,  faintly  striate,  about  equal  to  the  sporangium  in  the  horizontal 
diameter;  columella  distinct,  dark  brown,  globose  or  depressed- 
globose,  attaining  in  some  cases  the  centre,  rough ;  capillitium  delicate, 
almost  colorless,  radiating,  sparsely  branched ;  spores  in  mass  dark 
brown,  by  transmitted  light  violet-tinted,  minutely  roughened, 
8-10  ti. 

Probably  more  common  than  the  preceding,  and  generally  mis- 
taken for  it.  Distinguished  by  its  smaller  size,  longer  and  more 
slender  stem,  and  general  trim,  well-differentiated  appearance.  Cer- 
tainly very  near  the  preceding,  of  which  Mr.  Lister  regards  it  as 
merely  a  variety.  Professor  Morgan  thought  it  in  this  country  the 
more  common  form. 

New  York,  Ohio,  Iowa;  reported  from  Europe,  Africa,  South 
America. 

9.     DiDYMiUM  CLAVUS  (Alb.  &  Schw.)  Rabenhorst. 

1805.  Physarum  clavus  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Consp.  Fung.,  p.  96. 

1829.  Didymium  melanopus  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  114. 

1844.  Didymium  clavus  (Alb.  &  Schw.)  Rabh.,  Ger.  Cr.  FL,  No.  2282. 

1875.  Didymium   clavus   (Alb.  &  Schw.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  153. 

1899.  Didymium  claims  (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Rabenh.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  90. 

1911.  Didymium   clavus  Rost.,  List.,   Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.   128. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  pale  gray,  discoid  or  pileate,  depressed,  stipi- 
tate; the  peridium  dark-colored,  frosted  with  calcareous  crystals 
above,  naked  below;  stipe  short,  slender,  tapering  upward,  furrowed, 
arising  from  a  hypothallus  more  or  less  distinct,  black;  columella 
obsolete;  capillitium  of  delicate  threads,  pale  or  colorless,  little 
branched ;  spores  violaceous,  pale,  nearly  smooth,  6-8  /x. 

This  species  is  well  differentiated,  easy  of  recognition  by  reason  of 
its  peculiar  discoid  sporangium,  calcareous  above,  naked  and  black 
beneath.  D.  neglectum  Massee,  reported  from  Philadelphia,  is  said 
to  be  a  slender  form  of  the  present  species.  The  figures  of  D.  clavus 
by  Albertini  and  Schweinitz  are  excellent,  as  also  the  description. 

Not  common.     Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa. 


DIDYMWM  123 

10.  DiDYMiUM  NIGRIPES  (Link)  Fries. 

Plate  VII.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b. 

1809.  Physarum  nigripes  Link,  Obs.  Diss.,  I.,  p.  27. 

1818.  Physarum  microcarpon  Fr.,  Sym.  Gast.,  p.  23. 

1829.  Didymium  nigripes  (Link)    Fr.,  5yjA  Myc,  IIL,  p.  119. 

1875.  Didymium  microcarpon   (Fr.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  157. 

1896.  Didymium  microcarpon  Fr.,  Morg.,  7our.  Ci«.  Sof.,  p.  61. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose  or  hemispheric,  umbilicate  beneath, 
small,  white,  stipitate;  the  peridium  smoky,  covered  with  minute  cal- 
careous crystals;  stipe  slender,  erect,  black,  opaque;  hypothallus  scu- 
tate, black;  columella  distinct,  globose,  black  or  dark  brown; 
capillitium  of  delicate  threads,  pale  brown  or  colorless,  with  occa- 
sional brown  thickenings  or  nodes,  sparingly  branched ;  spores  pale,, 
violaceous  by  transmitted  light,  minutely  warted,  6-8  fi. 

This  is  D.  microcarpon  Rost.  Fries,  /.  c,  acknowledges  the  prior- 
ity of  Link's  appellation,  and  discards  microcarpon.  Rostafinski 
adopted  microcarpon  simply  because  he  thought  it  more  appropriate. 
Fries  describes  the  columella  "none  or  black."  It  is  doubtful  wheth- 
er we  have  the  typical  Friesian  form  on  this  continent.  The  fructi- 
fication is  in  our  specimens  small,  about  .4  mm.,  and  the  spores,  as 
noted  by  Morgan,  small;  otherwise  the  species  is  hardly  more  than  a 
variety  of  the  next.  Under  the  name  D.  nigripes  Lister  groups  our 
Nos.  10,  11,  12.  N.  A.  F.,  1393,  represents  Dr.  Rex's  conception  of 
the  present  species. 

Not  common.     New  York,  Ohio,  Iowa. 

11.  Didymium  xanthopus  (Ditmar)  Fr. 

Plate  XVI.,  Fig.  10. 

1817.     Cionium  xanthopus  Ditmar,  Sturm,  Deutsch.  Fl.,  III.,  p.  37,  t.  43. 
1829.    Didymium  xanthopus    (Dit.)    Fr.,   Syst.  Myc,   IIL,   p.   120. 
1873.     Didymium  proximum  Berk.  &  C,   Grev.,  II.,   p.  52. 
1892.     Didymium   microcarpon    (Fr.)    Rost.,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist. 
Joiva,  XL,  p.  146,  in  part. 

1894.     Didymium  nigripes  Fr.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  98,  in  part. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  white,  globose,  slightly  umbilicate,  stipitate; 
the  peridium  thin,  and  nearly  or  quite  colorless,  frosted  with  crystals 
of  lime ;  the  stipe  yellowish  or  yellowish  brown,  corneous,  erect,  sub- 


124  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ulate,  slender;  hypothallus  none;  columella  pale  or  white,  turbinate, 
globose  or  depressed-globose;  capillitium  of  dull  brown,  or  colorless 
threads  more  or  less  branched,  always  white  at  the  tips;  spores  viola- 
ceous, nearly  smooth,  7.5—8.5  [x. 

This  seems  to  be  the  most  common  form  in  the  United  States.  It 
is  distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  the  longer,  more  delicate,  gen- 
erally orange-yellow,  stem  with  pale  or  white  columella.  The  spores 
also  average  a  shade  larger.  N.  A.  F.,  412  and  2089,  are  illustra- 
tions of  D.  xanthopus.  The  columella  in  blown-out  specimens  is 
very  striking,  well  confirming  the  diagnosis  of  Fries,  "valde  prom- 
inensj  globosa,  stipitata,  alba."  Berkeley  makes  the  color  of  the 
capillitium  diagnostic  of  D.  proximum,  but  this  feature  is  insufficient. 

Eastern  United  States;  common. 

12.      DiDYMIUM   EXIMIUM  Peek. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  11,  11  a,  11  ^'. 
1879.     Didymium  eximium  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  41. 

Sporangia  scattered,  dull  grayish-yellow  or  gray,  depressed-globose, 
umbilicate,  minute,  stipitate;  the  peridium  comparatively  thick,  tena- 
cious, especially  persistent  below,  tawny  or  yellow;  the  stipe  pale 
brown  or  orange,  erect,  even  or  slightly  enlarged  at  base ;  hypothallus 
scant  or  none;  columella  prominent,  more  or  less  discoidal,  rough,  or 
spinulose,  especially  on  the  upper  surface,  yellow;  capillitium  not 
abundant,  pale  fuliginous,  often  branching  and  anastomosing  so  as  to 
form  a  loose  net;  spores  nearly  smooth,  dark  violaceous  by  trans- 
mitted light,  8.5-9.5  IX. 

The  species  differs  from  D.  xanthopus  in  several  particulars,  —  in 
the  much  firmer,  more  persistent,  and  less  calcareous  peridium,  in  the 
more  complex  capillitium,  in  the  darker  and  larger  spores,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  peculiar  and  prominent  columella,  which  is  not  only, 
rough,  but  even  "sometimes  spinulose  even  to  the  extent  of  long 
spicules  penetrating  to  one-third  the  height  of  the  sporangia."  N.  A. 
F.,  2493. 

As  stated  under  No.  8,  these  last  two  species  are  called  varieties 
only  of  D.  nigripes.     They  are  so  retained  in  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed. 


DIDYMIUM  125 

Since,  however,  they  are  the  usual  presentation  of  the  species  in  the 
United  States,  it  seems  wise  to  let  them  stand  for  the  present,  as  here. 
They  are  quite  distinguishable;  D.  eximium  especially  well  marked. 
Apparently  rare,  it  yet  ranges  from  New  York  to  eastern  Iowa,  in 
colonies  rather  large.     Okoboji  Lake;  —  fine! 

13.  DiDYMIUM  TROCHUS  LtSt. 

1898.     Didymium  trochus  List.,  Jour.  Bot.,  XXXVI.,  p.   164. 

Sporangia  plasmodiocarpous,  hemispherical  or  turbinate,  white,  ses- 
sile or  very  short-stalked,  cream-colored  or  white;  peridium  double, 
the  outer  shell-like,  the  inner  membranaceous,  more  or  less  adherent 
to  the  outer,  both  caducous  together,  leaving  the  thickened  base  sur- 
rounding an  expanded  columella;  stipe,  when  present,  very  short, 
stout;  capillitium  colorless,  nearly  simple;  spores  brownish-purple, 
strongly  warted,  9-10  /a. 

On  decaying  leaves,  rotten  cactus,  yucca,  etc.,  Monrovia,  Cali- 
fornia; Bethel. 

Reported  from  England  on  beds  of  leaves  or  straw;  in  Portugal 
Dr.  Torrend  finds  it  on  or  in  dead  leaves  of  Agave  americana!  Evi- 
dently an  American  species,  and  belonging  to  arid  regions;  its  occur- 
rence in  England  surprising! 

14.  Didymium  annulatum  Machr.  n.  s. 

Plate  XX,,  Figs.  4,  4  a. 

Sporangia  small,  scattered,  annulate,  not  only  without  columella 
but  perforate  when  the  stipe  is  broken,  umbilicate  above  and  below, 
grey,  coated  with  crystalline  frustules,  opening  irregularly  about  the 
periphery ;  stipe  white,  or  pallid,  fluted,  tapering  upward  from  a  dis- 
tinct hyp>othalIus ;  capillitium  scanty  consisting  of  delicate,  sparsely 
branching  threads,  the  branchlets  anastomosing  more  or  less  at  length, 
attached  to  the  peridial  wall,  radiating  from  the  rim  of  the  slightly 
depressed  top  of  stipe,  without  special  thickenings  save  at  the  inser- 
tion of  the  ramules  a  triangular  enlargement  is  usual  and  of  dark  or 
pallid  shade;  spores  smooth;  however  they  show  three  or  four  spots 


126  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

on  the  hemisphere  and  other  minute  but  variable  markings;  9-10  fi. 
Seattle,  Washington. 

Differs  from  D.  nigripes  in  color  of  the  stipes,  capillitium,  spore- 
diameter,  etc. 

15.  DiDYMIUM    DUBIUM    Rost. 

1875.  Didymium  dubium  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  152. 

1892.  Didymium  listeri  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  244. 

1894.  Didymium  dubium  Rost.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  95. 

1911.  Didymium  dubium  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  126. 

Fructification  wholly  plasmodiocarpous,  snow-white,  small,  2-6 
mm.,  flat  and  thin;  the  outer  wall  double,  membranous  within,  cal- 
careous-crystalline without;  columella  none;  capillitium  simple  of 
rather  thick,  vertical,  brown  threads,  sparingly  united  laterally,  and 
only  occasionally  furcate  at  the  ends,  especially  above ;  spores  minutely 
spinulescent,  violaceous  pale,   12-15  /x. 

Massee  thought  English  specimens  out  of  harmony  with  the  orig- 
inal description  and  gave  them  a  new  name.  To  refuse  this,  Lister 
enlarges  the  range  of  spore-measurements  and  disregards  some  of 
Rostafinski's  specifications  as  to  capillitium.  Our  specimens  are  as 
described. 

Bohemia.     England.     Shores  of  Lake  Okoboji,  Iowa. 

This  is  indeed  a  doubtful  form.  It  differs  from  D.  difforme 
chiefly  in  that  the  outer  calcareous  shell  is  not  smooth,  but  is  covered 
with  abundant  loose  crystals,  frosted.  The  spores  are  paler  but  about 
the  same  size.  The  frosting  may  be  incident  to  local  climatic  condi- 
tions at  the  time  and  place  of  desiccation. 

16.  Didymium  difforme  Duby. 

1797.  Diderma  difforme  Pers.   Tentamen  Disp.  Meth.,  p.  19. 

1830.  Didymium  difforme  Duby.,  Bat.  Gall,  ii.,  p.  858. 

1875.  Chondrioderrna  difforme  Pers.,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  177. 

1894.  Didymium  difforme  Duby.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  94. 

1899.  Diderma  personii  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  96. 

1911.  Didymium  difforme  Duby.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  124, 

Plasmodiocarpous,  the  smooth,  white  outer  peridium  separable  from 
the   thin,   colorless  or   purplish    inner   layer;   capillitium   of   rather 


DIDYMIUM  127 

coarse,  flat,  dichotomously  branching  threads,  broader  below;  spores 
minutely  warted,  or  almost  smooth,  dark  brown,  12-14  fi. 

The  white  crust-like  outer  wall  has  more  than  once  carried  this 
species  into  Diderma.  It  is  still  doubtful  whether  we  are  here  deal- 
ing with  Chondrioderma  calcareum  Rost.  Miss  Lister  cites  a  variety, 
S.  difforme  comatum,  with  more  abundant  capillitium  which  may 
represent  Rostafinski's  species. 

Evidently  rare  in  the  United  States;  reported  more  common  in 
Europe  and  eastward.  In  our  specimens  the  crust-like  outer  peridium 
shows  crystals  on  the  broken  edge  only;  the  body  of  the  object,  as  its 
outer  surface  seems  to  be  amorphous. 

17.      DiDYMIUM  QUITENSE  (Pat.)   Torr. 

1895.  Chondrioderma  quitense  Pat.,  Bull.  Soc.  Myc.  Fr.,  XL,  p.  212. 

1909.  Didymium  quitense   (Pat.)    Torn,  Flor.  Myxom.,  p.   150. 

1911.  Didymium  quitense  Torn,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  126. 

1913.  Didymium  quitense   (Pat.)   Torn,  Sturg.,  Myx.,  CoL  IL,  p.  446. 

Sporangia  more  or  less  plasmodiocarpous,  scattered,  depressed, 
white;  the  outer  peridium  distinct,  crust-like,  remote  from  the  thin 
membranous  inner  wall ;  columella  undefined ;  capillitium  brown, 
much  branched,  forming  a  network  especially  outwardly;  spores  very 
dark  violaceous-brown,  rough  with  a  tendency  to  obscure  reticulation ; 
12-14  II. 

This  species  is  different  from  D.  difforme  chiefly  in  the  rougher 
and  somewhat  banded  epispore.  It  is  reported  from  Ecuador  by 
Father  Torrend,  and  from  Colorado  mountains  by  Dr.  Sturgis  to 
whose  kindness  I  am  indebted  for  the  specimens  here  described.  Evi- 
dently a  high  mountain  species. 

Colorado. 

18fl,    Didymium  anomalum  Sturg. 

Plate  XIX.,  Figs.  13  and  U  a. 
1913.     Didymium  anomalum  Sturg.  Myxomycetes  of  Col.,  IL,  p.  444 
Sporangia  in  the  form  of  very  thin  effused  grey  plasmodiocarps, 
2-10  cm.  long,  1  mm.  or  less  in  thickness.    Wall  single  or  membran- 
ous, hyaline  or  yellowish,  with  rather  scanty  deposits  of  small,  stel- 


128  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

lately  crystalline  or  amorphous  lime.  Columella  none.  Capillitium 
consisting  entirely  of  straight  membranous,  tubular,  columns,  extend- 
ing from  the  base  to  the  upper  wall  of  the  plasmodiocarp,  7-22  jtt 
thick  and  usually  containing  small  crystalline  masses  of  lime.  Spores 
bright  violet-brown,  minutely  and  irregularly  spinulose,  10-11.5  /x 
diam. 

Hab.  on  the  inner  bark  of  Populus.  Colorado  Springs,  Colo,,  July 
1911. 

Our  specimens  by  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Sturgis. 

EXTRA-LIMITAL 

18.  DiDYMiUM  INTERMEDIUM  Schroeter. 

1896.     Didymium  intermedium  Schroet.,  Hediviffia,  Vol.  XXXV.,  p.  209. 
1902.     Didymium  excelsum  Jahn,  Ber.  Deut.  Bot.  Ges.,  XX.,  p.  275. 

Sporangia  clustered  or  gregarious,  discoidal  and  umbilicate  below, 
or  lobed  or  convolute,  greyish  white,  stipitate;  stipe  pale  yellow, 
tapering  upwards,  stuffed  with  lime  crystals,  expanding  into  the  j^el- 
lowish,  discoidal,  recurving  columella;  capillitium  colorless,  more  or 
less  branching;  spores  dark  purple-brown,  irregularly  reticulate, 
9-12  II. 

Differs  from  D.  squamulosum  in  the  reticulate  epispore.     Brazil. 

19.  Didymium  leoninum  Berk.  £sf  Br. 

1873.     Didymium  leoninum  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  XIV,,  p.  83. 
1876.     Lepidoderma  tigrinum  Rost,  A  pp.  to  Man.,  p.  23, 
1909,     Lcpidodermopsis  leoninus  v,  Hohnel,  Sitz.  K.  Ak.  Wiss.  Wien,  Math. 
Nat.  Ks.,  CXVIII,,  439, 

Sporangia  gregarious,  subglobose,  covered  more  or  less  completely 
with  white  or  yellowish  deposits  of  crystalline  lime,  stipitate ;  stipes 
short,  orange  or  brown,  containing  lime,  enlarged  to  form  the  globose 
orange  columella  and  often  connected  at  base  by  a  venulose  hypothal- 
lus ;  capillitium  of  slender  threads,  anastomosing,  colorless  at  the  tips ; 
spores  violet-grey,  minutely  warted,  7-9  ju. 

Like  Lepidoderma  tigrinum,  but  has  different  calcic  crystals. 

Java  and  Ceylon, 


DIDERMA  129 

3.     Diderma  Persoon 

1794.  Diderma  Persoon,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  BoL,  I.,  p.  89. 

1873.  Chondrioderma  Rost.  Versuch,  p.   13,  Mon.,  p.   167. 

1894.  Chondrioderma  Rost.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  75. 

1899.  Diderma  Persoon,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  92. 

Sporangia  plasmodiocarpous  or  distinct,  sessile  or  stipitate;  the 
peridium  as  a  rule  double,  the  outer  wall  generally  calcareous  with 
the  lime  granules  globular,  non-crystalline,  the  inner  wall  very  deli- 
cate and  often,  in  the  mature  fructification,  remote  from  the  outer; 
columella  generally  prominent. 

The  genus  Diderma  is  usually  easy  of  recognition,  by  reason  of  its 
double  wall,  the  outer,  crustaceous,  usually  calcareous,  and  its  limits 
remain  substantially  as  originally  set  by  Persoon.  His  definition  is  as 
follows :  — 

"Peridium  ut  plurimum  duplex;  exterius  fragile;  interius  pellucens, 
subdistans.  Columella  magna,  subrotunda.  Fila  parca  latentia."  — 
Syn.  Meth.  Fung.,  p.  168. 

Rostafinski  changed  the  name  of  the  genus  to  Chondrioderma 
{chondri,  cartilage),  seemingly  at  De  Bary's  suggestion,  and  seems  to 
have  regarded  Persoon's  definition  as  applicable  to  those  species  only 
in  which  the  wall  is  not  only  plainly  double,  but  in  which  the  two 
walls  are  as  plainly  remote  from  each  other.  More  especially  he 
esteemed  a  new  generic  name  necessary,  since  he  regarded  several  in- 
cluded species,  as  D.  spumarioides,  D.  michelii,  etc.,  monodermic. 

Since  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  diderma  is  really  monodermic,  and 
since  Persoon's  definition  in  any  case  seems  sufficiently  elastic,  we 
have  seen  no  reason  to  discard  the  older  name.  Persoon's  Diderma 
when  established,  /.  c,  included  D.  florifor?ne.  He  made  some  con- 
fusion in  his  later  work  by  admitting  some  physarums.  This  induced 
Schrader  to  throw  all  the  didermas  into  his  new  genus,  Didymium. 

According  to  the  nature  of  the  sporangia!  wall,  the  species  fall 
rather  naturally  into  two  sections:  — 

A.  Outer  sporangial  wall   distinctly  calcareous,   fragile;   species  generally 

sessile Diderma 

B.  Outer  sporangial  wall  cartilaginous,  the  inner  less  distinct,  or  concrete 

with  the  outer;  species  oftener  stipitate         .        .        .        Leangium 

10 


130  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

A.     Sub-Genus  DIDERMA 

1.  Fructification  wholly  plasmodiocarpous      .        .        .         \.     D.  effusum 

2.  Fructification  of  distinct  sporangia. 

a.  Sporangia  on  a  common  hypothallus. 

*  Outer  wall  fragile,  not  widely  remote  from  the  inner 

2.    D.  spumarioides 
**  Inner  wall  lacking      .         .         .         .         3.    D,  simplex 
***  Outer  wall  crustaceous,  porcelain-like. 

i.     Spores   8-10         .         .         .        4-.     D.  globosum 

ii.     Spores  12-15     .         .         .         5.     D.  crustaceum 

****  Outer  wall  firm,  not  crustaceous         .         6.     D.  lyallii 

b.  Sporangia  isolated,  or,   at  least,  not  on  a  common  hypothallus, 

sessile. 

*  Outer  wall  porcellanous,  roseate      .         7.    D.  testaceum 
**  Outer  wall  white         .        .         .        .         7.     D.  niveum 

***  Outer  wall  ashen       .         .         .         .         9.     D.  cinereum 
.  c.     Sporangia  stipitate      .        ,        .        .        10.    D.  hemispherkum 

B.     Sub-Genus  LEANGIUM 

1.  Sporangia  generally  sessile. 

a.  Inner  peridium  distinct. 

*  Membranous  colorless,  columella  scant       11.     D.  sauteri 
**  Colorless,  columella  prominent,  red       12.     D.  cor-rubrum 

***  Outer  ochraceous,  inner  yellow        .         13.    D.  ochraceum 

b.  Peridial  layers  inseparable. 

*  Peridium  multifid;  columella  small  or  none 

16.     D.  trevelyani 
**  Peridium  breaking  into  but  few  irregular  lobes;  colum- 
ella  prominent, 
i.     Peridium  umber  brown         .         14.     D.  roanense 
ii.     Peridium   ashen     .         .         .         15.     D.  radiatum 
iii.     Peridium   chocolate   without,   inside  white 

17.    D.  aster  aides 

2.  Sporangia  stipitate. 

a.  Peridium  pallid,  smooth    .         .         .         .         18.     D.  floriforme 

b.  Peridium  white,   rugulose    .         .         .         .         19.     D.  rugosum 

1.     DiDERMA  EFFUSUM   (Schiv.)  Morgan. 

1831.  Physarum  effusum   Schw.,  A''.  A.  F.,  p.  257. 

1896.  Diderma  effusum   (Schw.)  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  71. 

1899.  Diderma  effusum    (Schw.)    Morg.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  94. 

1899.  Diderma  reticulatum  Rost.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  95. 

1911.  Diderma  effusum  Morg.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  102. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  reticulate,  creeping,  applanate  and 
generally  widely  effused,  white ;  the  peridium  thin,  cinereous,  covered 


DIDERMA  131 

by  a  delicate,  white,  calcareous  crust;  the  columella  simply  the  base 
of  the  plasmodiocarp,  thin  alutaceous;  the  capillitium  pale,  consisting 
of  short  threads  somewhat  branched  toward  their  distal  extremities; 
spores  smooth,  pale  violaceous,  8-10  /x. 

This  is  Physarum  effusum  Schw.,  vid.  N.  A.  F.,  No.  2297.  It  is 
reported  by  Morgan  from  Ohio,  and  we  have  one  specimen  from 
eastern  Nebraska,  so  that  it  is  probably  of  general  distribution  in  the 
eastern  United  States. 

This  species  was  in  the  previous  edition  distinguished  from  the 
Rostafinskian  P.  reticulatum  with  spores  a  little  smaller,  6-8  jx,  and 
with  a  much  stronger  tendency  to  the  formation  of  definite  sporangia, 
elongate  indeed  and  branching  but  often  globose  or  depressed  globose. 
This  we  may  know  as, 

Var.  RETICULATUM  Rost. 

1875.     Chondrioderma  reticulatum  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  170. 

1894.     Diderma  reticulatum    (Rost.)   Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  71. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  generally  rounded,  not  much  depressed,  flat, 
sometimes,  especially  toward  the  margin  of  a  colony,  elongate,  venu- 
lose  or  somewhat  plasmodiocarpous,  dull  white,  the  inner  peridium 
ashen  or  bluish,  remote  from  the  calcareous  crust,  which  is  extremely 
fragile,  easily  shelling  off;  columella  indistinguishable  from  the  base 
of  the  sporangium,  thin,  alutaceous;  capillitium  of  short,  generally 
colorless,  delicate,  sparingly  branching  or  anastomosing  threads  per- 
pendicular to  the  columella;  spores  black  in  mass,  by  transmitted 
light  violet-tinted,  smooth,  6-8  fi. 

Perhaps  our  most  common  form.  Found  in  fall  on  dead  twigs, 
leaves,  etc.  Recognized  by  its  rather  large,  white,  depressed  or  flat- 
tened sporangia  tending  to  form  reticulations,  and  hence  suggesting 
the  name.  The  lines  of  fruiting  tend  to  follow  the  venation  of  the 
supporting  leaf;  where  the  sporangium  is  round,  the  columella  is  a 
distinct  rounded  or  cake-like  body;  where  the  fruit  is  venulose,  the 
columella  is  less  distinct. 

By  these  rounded  forms  we  pass  easily,  as  by  a  gate,  to  D.  hemi- 
sphericum,  which,  when  wholly  sessile,  differs  still  in  greater  diam- 
eter of  the  sporangia  and  in  having  somewhat  larger  spores.    Usually 


132  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

in  such  case  the  compared  colony  will  show  somewhere  a  very  short 
and  stout  but  very  real  stipe  supporting  the  discoid  fruit. 

Rostafinski  divided  the  genus  CJiondriodernw,  i.  e.  Diderma,  into 
three  sections :  — 

Monoderma  to  include  those  species  in  which  the  calcareous  crust  is 
less  distinct  or  connate  with  the  true  peridium. 

Diderma,  in  w^hich  the  two  structures  were  plainly  separate. 

Leangium,  used  as  in  the  present  work.  In  his  first  section  Rosta- 
finski placed  C.  reticulatum  and  C.  michelii;  in  the  second,  C.  dif- 
forme  and  C.  calcareurn. 

Lister  has  examined  Rostafinski's  type  of  C.  reticulatum  and  de- 
clares that  it  has  the  usual  didermic  characters.  Hence  there  is  no 
doubt  that  our  small-spored  American  specimens  are  covered  by  Rosta- 
finski's description,  No.  72.  On  the  other  hand.  Lister  makes  C. 
difforme  (Pers.)  Rost.  a  Didymium,  by  its  crystalline  coat.  That 
species  therefore  is  removed  from  consideration  in  this  connection. 
C.  calcareum  remains  as  applicable  to  American  forms  having  the 
spores  10-12  ju,,  but  according  to  the  author  of  the  species  the  capil- 
litium  is  abundant  and  definitive.  Unhappily  the  type  of  C.  cal- 
careum is  lost  (Lister,  Mon.,  p.  95),  so  that  there  is  no  other  means 
of  verification  than  the  description  and  Rostafinski's  figure.  Under 
these  circumstances  we  consider  the  name  calcareum  inapplicable  to 
any  American  forms  we  have  so  far  seen.  See  next  species.  As  to  the 
American  species  which  have  been  distributed  as  C.  calcaretim  (Lk.) 
Rost.,  they  are,  so  far  as  seen,  referable  to  D.  reticulatum  (Rost.), 
Morg.     Here  also  belongs  No.  1217,  Ellis,  N.  A.  F. 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Nebraska.  Probably  to  be 
found  throughout  the  eastern  United  States. 

2.     Diderma  spumarioides  Fries. 

1829.     Diderma  spumarioides  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  104. 
1833.     Physarum  stromateum  Link.,  Handb.,  III.,  p.  409. 
1876.     Chondrioderma  stromateum  (Lk.)  Rost.,  A  pp.,  p.  18. 

Sporangia  sessile,  crowded,  spherical,  or  by  mutual  pressure  ir- 
regular, white;  the  peridium  plainly  double,  but  the  layers  adhering, 
the  outer  more  strongly  calcareous,  but  very  frail,  almost  farinaceous ; 


D I  DERM  A  133 

hypothallus  more  or  less  plainly  in  evidence,  white  or  pale  alutaceous ; 
columella  distinct,  though  often  small,  globose,  yellowish ;  capillitium 
variable  in  quantity,  sometimes  abundant,  brown,  somewhat  branch- 
ing and  anastomosing  outwardly,  the  tips  paler;  spores  minutely 
roughened,  dark  violaceous,  about  10  /x. 

This  species  has  the  outward  seeming  of  a  didymium,  but  is  plainly 
different  as  that  genus  is  here  defined,  since  the  calcareous  crust,  al- 
though inclined  to  be  pulverulent,  is  made  up  of  minute  granules,  not 
crystals,  of  lime.  The  hypothallus  is  sometimes  hardly  discoverable, 
anon  well  developed,  out-spread,  rugulose,  far  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  fructification.  In  his  Monogj-nph,  p.  175,  Rostafinski  includes 
here  Physarum  stromateum  Link.  In  the  Appendix  he  is  inclined  to 
raise  Link's  form  to  the  dignity  of  a  distinct  species,  basing  the 
diagnosis  upon  the  superposition  of  the  sporangia  in  certain  cases,  a 
feature  entirely  unknown  to  Link's  description  and  of  extremely  un- 
certain value,  since  by  their  crowding  the  sporangia  are  liable  always 
to  be  pushed  above  each  other.  We  therefore  regard  C.  stro/nateum 
(Link)  Rost.  as  a  synonym  of  the  present  species,  as  the  description. 
Link,  Handb.,  III.,  409,  indicates,  so  far  as  it  goes. 

3.     DiDERMA  SIMPLEX  (Scliroet.)  Lister. 

1885.     Chondrioderma  simplex  Schroet.,  Krypt.  Fl.  Schles.,  III.,   1,   p.  123. 
1911.     Diderma  simplex  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  107. 

"Plasmodium  bright  yellowish  brown."  Sporangia  gregarious,  ses- 
sile, globose  or  depressed  globose,  .3-.5  mm.,  or  anon  plasmodiocar- 
pous,  brown  or  brick-red  when  fresh,  becoming  paler,  ochraceous,  etc. ; 
hypothallus  everywhere  in  evidence ;  columella  ill-defined ;  capillitium 
scanty,  the  threads  delicate,  pale,  branching  as  they  join  the  peridial 
wall;  spores  dull  violaceous,  slightly  roughened,  8-10  /x. 

A  rather  crude,  primitive  representative  of  this  beautiful  genus. 
The  inner  peridium  seems  to  be  lacking,  —  a  comfort  to  Rostafinski ! 
Rare.  Our  best  specimens  are  from  New  Jersey,  by  courtesy  of  Dr. 
C.  L.  Shear.  These  went  to  fruit  on  leaves  and  branches  of  Vac- 
cinium.  It  seems  to  affect  the  heather  of  Europe,  moorland,  etc.  I 
have  also  specimens  from  the  herbarium  of  the  lamented  Dr.  Rex. 
These  are  more  plasmodiocarpous,  but  open  beautifully  by  a  median 


134  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

fissure  as  in  Physarum  sinuosum  Bull.  In  no  American  gathering 
that  I  have  examined  does  the  capillitium  show  calcareous  thicken- 
ings as  described  by  the  British  text. 

4.     DiDERMA  GLOBOSUM  Persoon. 

Plate  VII.,  Figs.  5,  5  a. 

1794.     Diderma  globosum  Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  89. 
1875.     Chondrioderma  globosum    (Pers.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p,   180 

Sporangia  more  or  less  closely  gregarious,  sessile,  globose  or  by 
mutual  pressure  prismatic  or  polyhedral,  white,  the  outer  wall  smooth, 
polished,  crustaceous,  fragile,  far  remote  from  the  inner,  which  is 
thin,  smooth,  or  rugulose,  iridescent  blue;  hypothallus  usually  pro- 
nounced and  spreading  beyond  the  sporangia,  sometimes  scanty 
or  lacking,  columella  variable,  sometimes  very  small,  inconspicuous, 
sometimes  large,  globose,  ellipsoidal,  even  pedicellate;  capillitium 
abundant,  brown  or  purplish  brown,  branching  and  occasionally 
anastomosing  to  form  a  loosely  constructed  superficial  net;  spores 
globose,  delicately  spinulose,  8  /x. 

This  species  seems  rare  in  this  country.  We  have  specimens  from 
Iowa.  It  is  distinguished  by  small  spores  and  generally  snow-white 
color.  Lister  has  thrown  doubt  upon  Rostafinski's  definition  of  this 
form  —  Mycetozoa,  p.  78.  Almost  everything  distributed  in  the 
United  States  under  this  name  belongs  in  the  next  species.  Reported 
also  from  Ohio,  —  Morgan.  Washington.  But:  —  it  should  be 
found  in  Europe,  where  first  described ! 

There  are  two  ways  to  meet  the  difficulty.  In  the  first  place  it 
seems  probable  that  a  small-spored  form  really  hides  somewhere  in 
Europe.  The  difference  between  the  Monograph  measurement  and 
the  size  admitted  for  D.  crustaceum  Pk.,  evidently  considered  by  Mr. 
Lister  as  type  and  so  used  in  his  illustration,  PI.  85,  is  too  great  to  be 
esteemed  merely  an  error.  That  added  .3  (Rost.)  indicates  caution, 
the  average  of  several  measurements.  Our  D.  globosum  may  repre- 
sent what  the  Monograph  describes.^     In  the  second  place  we  may  as 

^  Dr.  Cooke,  who  used  the  microscope,  applied  the  Monograph  description 
to  British  forms  occurring  on  leaves;  proceeded  further  and  found  the  same 
situation  in  New  York.  Mr.  Massee  gives  the  species  wide  range  with  spores 
8-10  m;  average  9  m;  only  a  fraction  too  large;  evidently  none  12-15  M. 


DIDERMA  135 

American  students  mistake  larger  and  more  globular  forms  of  some- 
thing else,  of  D.  spumarioides  Fr.,  whose  spores  are  but  little  larger; 
or  of  D.  effusum  (Schw.)  Morg.,  where  the  flattened  plasmodio- 
carps  anon  splatter  out  to  globose  drops  of  polished  whiteness,  and 
whose  spores  are  8  fi.  But  even  here  the  chances  of  error  are  small. 
In  the  species  last  named  the  columella  or  sporangial  base  is  aluta- 
ceous,  not  white;  in  Fries'  species,  while  the  columella  if  present  may 
be  white,  the  peridial  walls  are  different,  difficult  to  distinguish. 

For  these  reasons,  D.  globosum  Pers.  may  stand,  waiting  further 
light  from  Europe. 

5.      DiDERMA    CRUSTACEUM    Peck. 

Plate  VII.,  Fig.  7 

1871.     Diderma  crustaceum  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXVI.,  p.  74. 
1889.     Chondrioderma  crustaceum    (Peck)   Berl.,  Sacc,  VII.,   p.  373. 

Plasmodium  at  first  watery,  colorless,  becoming  at  length  milky 
white;  sporangia  closely  crowded  or  superimposed,  in  a  cushion-like 
colony,  creamy  white,  globose,  imbedded  in  the  substance  of  the 
hypothallus,  the  outer  peridium  smooth,  delicate,  crustaceous,  fragile, 
remote  from  the  blue  iridescent  inner  membrane;  hypothallus  promi- 
nent ;  columella  variable,  generally  present,  globose ;  capillitium  dark- 
colored,  the  threads  branching  and  combining  to  form  a  loose  net; 
spore-mass  black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  dark  violaceous,  deli- 
cately roughened,  12-15  fi. 

Common.  Readily  to  be  distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  the 
larger  spores  and  more  crowded  habit.  New  England  west  to 
Nebraska. 

The  didermas  are  generally  delicately  beautiful.  The  outer  wall 
in  the  present  species  is  like  finest  unglazed  china,  softly  smooth,  and 
yet  not  polished,  often  absolutely  white,  with  porcellanous  fracture. 
An  inter-parietal  space  separates  the  outer  from  the  inner  wall,  so 
that  the  former  may  be  broken,  bit  by  bit,  without  in  the  least  dis- 
turbing the  underlying  structure.  The  inner  wall  is  ashen  or  gauzy 
iridescent  green,  sending  back  all  colors  in  reflected  light.  The 
spores  are  violet,  deeply  so  when  fresh,  the  capillitium  strong  and 
likewise  tinted;  the  columella  passing  down  and  blending  with  the 


136  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

common  snow-white  hypothalline  base.  The  distinct  habits  of  the 
two  species  are  represented  in  Figs.  5  and  7.  In  the  one  the  distinct 
sporangia  are  associated  but  not  crowded ;  in  the  other  all  are  massed 
together  in  quite  aethalioid  fashion,  forming  circumambient,  chalky 
masses  of  considerable  size,  2  or  3  cm.,  overcrowded,  superimposed, 
where  the  sporangia  are  regular  in  shape  and  size  by  reason  of  mutual 
pressure.  The  plasmodium  develops  in  forests  and  orchards,  among 
decaying  leaves,  but  is  inclined  to  rise  as  maturity  draws  near,  to 
ascend  some  twig  erect,  or  the  stem  of  a  living  plant  to  the  height  of 
several  inches  where  the  sporangia  at  length  appear  "heaped  and 
pent",  an  encircling  sheath,  conspicuous  after  the  fashion  of  a  spu- 
maria  for  which  it  is  indeed  sometimes  mistaken. 

6.     DiDERMA  LYALLii  (Massee)  Macbr. 

Plate  XVIII.,  Figs.  5  and  5  a 

1892.  Chondrioderma  lyallii  Massee,  Mon.,  p.  201. 

1894-.  Chondrioderma  lyallii  Mass.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  p.  81. 

1899.  Diderma  lyallii  Mass.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  99. 

1911.  Diderma  lyallii  List,  sub-species,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.   105. 

Sporangia  obovate,  more  or  less  closely  crowded,  white,  stipitate, 
about  1  mm.  in  diameter,  the  outer  peridium  firm,  stout,  encrusted, 
especially  above,  with  granular  masses  of  lime,  the  inner  well  devel- 
oped, more  or  less  cartilaginous,  opaque,  yellow  or  buflf-colored ; 
hypothallus  well  developed,  venulose,  white,  passing  up  unchanged 
to  form  the  short,  stout  stipe  and  lower  outer  peridium;  columella 
prominent,  half  the  height  of  the  sporangium,  brown ;  capillitium  of 
short,  brown  threads,  rigid,  much  branched,  forming  a  net,  widened 
irregularly  and  especially  at  the  net-nodes;  spore-mass  black,  spores 
by  transmitted  light  bright  brown,  rough,  15-17  fi. 

A  very  distinct  species;  large,  fine,  showy  sporangia  in  more  or  less 
crowded  clusters  spring  from  a  snow-white,  common  hypothallus. 
First  reported  from  western  Canada.  Our  first  specimens  were  col- 
lected by  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Irish,  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the 
Sierras,  in  Nevada;  now  coming  in  abundantly  from  all  the  western 
mountains  to  the  Pacific. 


DIDERMA  137 

7.  DiDERMA  TESTACEUM    (Schrad.)    Pers. 

Plate  VII,,  4,  4  a,  and  4  ^. 

1797.  Didymium  testaceum  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  Plant.,  p.  25. 

1801.  Diderma  testaceum  Persoon,  Syn.,  p.  167. 

1873.  Chondrioderma  testaceum    (Schrad.)    Rost.,   Vers.,  p.    13. 

1874.  Diderma  mariae-ivilsoni  Clinton,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXVI.,  p.  74. 
1899.  Diderma  testaceum   (Schrad.)   Pers.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  99. 
1911.  Diderma  testaceum  Pers.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  106. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sessile,  depressed-spherical  or  sometimes  elon- 
gate, small,  1  mm.  or  less,  rose-white,  smooth,  the  outer  peridium 
crustaceous,  rather  thick  and  persistent,  polished,  slightly  raised  above 
the  inner,  which  is  dull  ashen  and  more  or  less  wrinkled ;  hypothallus 
none;  columella  prominent,  hemispherical  in  the  typical  rounded 
forms,  slightly  rough,  reddish  or  reddish  alutaceous;  capillitium 
usually  abundant,  of  slender,  delicate  pale  or  colorless  threads,  little 
branched,  and  smooth ;  spores  violaceous-brown,  minutely  roughened, 
8-9  IX. 

A  very  beautiful  species  occurring  at  the  same  time  as  the  pre- 
ceding and  in  similar  situations.  All  our  specimens  from  the  west 
are  on  dead  leaves  of  oak ;  some  eastern  gatherings  are  on  moss. 
Easily  recognized  when  fresh  by  its  delicate  pink  or  roseate  color; 
weathered  specimens  are  white,  and  might  be  confused  with  forms  of 
D.  reticulatum,  but  the  sporangia  in  the  present  species  are  less  flat- 
tened and  only  rarely  in  special  situations  run  off  to  linear  or  plas- 
modiocarpous  shapes  characteristic  of  D.  reticulatum. 

Not  common,  although  widely  distributed  from  east  to  west.  New 
England,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  South  Carolina,  Ohio,  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Nebraska,  California  (Harkness),  Washington,  Oregon. 

8.  Diderma  niveum  (Rostafinski)  Macbr. 

Plate  XVIII.,  Fig.  11  and  11  a 

1875.  Chondrioderma  niveum  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  170. 
1877.     Diderma  albescens  Phillips,  Grev.,  V,,  p.  114. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  or  more  often  crowded,  sessile,  de- 
pressed-spherical, sometimes  ellipsoidal  or  elongate,  white,  the  outer 
peridium  crustaceous,  chalky,  smooth  and  fragile,  the  inner  distinct, 
delicate,  ochraceous ;  hypothallus  scant  or  none ;  columella  well  devel- 
oped,  globose  or  hemispherical,   orange-tinted  or  ochraceous ;  capil- 


138  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

litium  abundant,  made  of  threads  of  two  sorts,  some  purplish  or 
dusky,  with  pale  extremities,  uneven,  others  more  delicate  and  color- 
less, and  with  wart-like  thickenings,  all  sparingly  branched;  spores 
violet-brown,  minutely  roughened,  9-10  /x. 

This  species  is  not  common.  From  Colorado  we  have  fine  speci- 
mens typical  in  every  way.  Specimens  from  Washington  are  flat  so 
far  as  at  present  at  hand;  probably  represent  D.  deplanatum  (R.) 
List.,  which  the  last  named  author  regards  as  varietal  of  the  present 
species,  entering  it  and  Z>.  lyallii  as  sub-species  2  and  1  respectively. 
D.  deplanatum  may  perhaps  be  best  so  disposed  of;  but  D.  lyallii  is 
distinguished  at  sight,  as  well  as  by  microscopic  characters,  spores 
nearly  twice  as  great,  rougher  and  different  in  color. 

9.      DiDERMA  CINEREUM  Morg. 

1894.     Diderma  cinereum  Morg.,  Myx.  Mi.  Val.,  p.  70. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  more  or  less  crowded  or  even  confluent,  sub- 
globose,  only  slightly  depressed,  ashen  white;  the  peridium  not  ob- 
viously double,  very  smooth  and  thin,  rupturing  irregularly;  hypo- 
thallus  an  indistinct  membrane  or  wholly  wanting;  columella  large, 
globose  or  hemispheric,  white,  the  surface  granulose;  capillitium  of 
very  slender  colored  threads,  the  extremities  pellucid,  more  or  less 
branched ;  spores  violaceous,  minutely  warted,  9-1 1  fx. 

Growing  on  old  wood,  leaves,  etc.  The  sporangium  .3-.5  mm., 
thin  and  smooth  or  rugulose.  This  elegant  little  species  I  know  only 
from  specimens  received  from  Mr.  Morgan.  It  seems  to  be  closely 
related  to  D.  spumarioides,  from  which  it  is  distinguished  by  its  color, 
darker,  and  its  smoother,  or  less  spinulose  spores.  The  author  com- 
pares the  color  and  external  appearance  to  that  of  P.  cinereum,  — 
Jour.  Cln.  Soc,  XVI.,  p.  154. 

Ohio,  Pennsylvania. 

10.     Diderma  hemisphericum  (Bull.)  Home. 

1791.  Reticularia  hemisp/ierica  Bull.,  Cham,  de  Ft.,  I.,  p.  93. 

1829.  Didymium  hemisphericum   (Bull.)   Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  115. 

1829.  Diderma  hemisphericum   (Bull.)   Home.,  Fl.  Dan.,  XL,  p.  18. 

1832.  Didymium  michelii  Lib.,  PI.  Ard.,  No.   180. 

1873.  Chondrioderma  michelii  (Lib.)   Rost.,  Fuckel,  Sym.  Myc,  p.  74. 


DIDERMA  139 

Sporangia  gregarious,  orbicular,  discoid,  depressed  above  and  often 
umbilicate  below,  stipitate  or  sometimes  sessile,  the  outer  peridium 
white,  fragile,  crustaceous,  soon  breaking  about  the  margins,  closely 
applied  to  the  inner,  which  is  delicate,  cinereous,  and  ruptures  irregu- 
larly; stipe  about  equal  to  the  diameter  of  the  sporangium,  1  mm., 
rather  stout,  calcareous  but  colored,  brownish  or  alutaceous,  more  or 
less  wrinkled  longitudinally,  the  wrinkles  when  present  forming  veins 
on  the  lower  surface  of  the  sporangium ;  hypothallus  small ;  columella 
not  distinct  from  the  thickened  brownish  or  reddish  base  of  the 
sporangium ;  capillitium  of  delicate  threads,  mostly  simple  and  color- 
less, often  scanty;  spores  pale  violaceous,  nearly  smooth,  8-9  fx. 

A  very  well  marked  species,  easily  recognized,  at  least  when  stipi- 
tate, by  its  remarkable  discoid  or  lenticular  sporangia.  After  the 
spore-dispersal,  the  stipes  are  long-persistent,  surmounted  by  a  pecu- 
liar disk  representing  the  consolidated  columella,  lower  sporangial 
wall,  and  expanded  stem-top.  Sessile  specimens  are  like  similar  forms 
of  D.  reticulatum,  but  in  all  the  gatherings  before  us  the  stipitate 
type  is  at  hand  to  reveal  the  identity  of  the  species. 

Rostafinski's  figures,  131,  146,  149,  and  150,  adapted  from  Corda, 
exaggerate  the  hypothallus,  but  otherwise  leave  nothing  to  be  desired. 

As  to  synonymy,  Bulliard  has  plainly  the  priority.  His  figure, 
t.  446,  Fig.  1,  can  refer  to  nothing  else,  especially  reenforced  as  it  is 
by  Sowerby,  Eng.  Fung.,  t.  12. 

Rather  rare  on  fallen  stems  of  herbaceous  plants,  but  widely  dis- 
tributed, New  England  to  Oregon  and  Washington. 

11.     DiDERMA  SAUTERI   (Rost.)  Macbr. 

1875.     Cliondrioderma  sauteri  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  181. 

1891.     Cliondrioderma  aculeatum  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  390. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  sessile,  lenticular  or  hemispherical, 
flattened  above  and  sometimes  concave  or  umbilicate  below,  dusky  or 
yellowish  white,  the  outer  peridium  papyraceous,  thin,  occasionally 
wrinkled,  rupturing  irregularly,  remote  from  the  inner,  which  is  thin, 
delicate,  semi-transparent,  grayish,  rarely  iridescent;  hypothallus 
none;  columella  irregular,  sometimes  small  and  hardly  evident,  ru- 
gose, with  spine-like  processes,  the  persisting  bases  of  the  capillitial 


140  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

threads,  reddish  brown ;  capillitium  scanty,  white,  or  colorless,  simple 
or  sparingly  branched;  spores  dark  violaceous,  spinulose,  12-13  fi. 

This  is  Chondrioderma  aculeaturn  Rex,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Phil., 
1891,  p.  390.  After  careful  comparison  of  specimens  and  various 
descriptions,  especially  that  of  Rostafinski  with  the  type  specimens  of 
Dr.  Rex,  I  am  constrained  to  concur  with  Lister  in  adopting  Rosta- 
finski's  name.  The  sporangia  in  the  type  specimens  (Rex)  are  on 
moss,  borne  at  the  extreme  tips  of  acuminate  or  aculeate  leaves,  so 
that  at  first  sight  they  appear  stipitate. 

Apparently  rare.     Maine,  New  York. 

12.  DiDERMA    COR-RUBRUM    Macbr.    71.    S. 

Plate   XVIII.,   Fig.  2 

Sporangia  gregarious  clustered,  small  .5-7  mm.,  sessile  corrugate- 
plicate,  especially  above,  snow-white,  the  outer  peridium  cartilaginous 
polished  without  and  within,  the  inner  delicate,  evanescent ;  columella 
well  developed,  globose  or  clavate,  anchored  by  several  stout  trans- 
verse trabecules  to  the  peridial  wall,  papillate,  deep-red  as  is  the 
peridium  especially  below;  capillitium  very  delicate,  sparingly 
branching,  colorless;  spores  verruculose,  fuliginous  tinged  with  red, 
about  12  fx. 

This  curious  but  elegant  little  species  is  represented  by  a  single 
colony  collected  by  Professor  Morton  Peck  in  Iowa.  It  resembles 
D.  sauteri  but  is  distinguished  by  the  plicate  white  wall,  the  stout 
columella  with  its  lateral  extensions,  as  by  the  more  delicate  spores. 
On  rotten  wood. 

13.  DiDERMA  OCHRACEUM  Hojfm. 

1795.    Diderma  ochraceum  Hoffm.,  Deutsch.  FL  Tab.  9,  2,  b. 
1911.    Diderma  ochraceum  Hoffm.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  109. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  clustered,  .7-1  mm.,  sessile,  globose  or 
sometimes  plasmodiocarpous,  ochraceous  yellow;  outer  wall  cartilag- 
inous with  yellow  deposits  of  lime,  the  inner  also  yellow,  adherent 
or  free;  columella  not  distinct;  capillitium  simple  or  branching, 
purple-brown,  hyaline  at  base ;  spores  spinulose,  purplish-grey,  9-1 1  fx. 

Mr.  Lister  reports  this  species  from  Massachusetts. 


D I  DERM  A  141 

14.  DiDERMA  ROANENSE  (Rex)  Macbr. 

1893.  Chondrioderma  roanense  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  368. 
Sporangia  scattered,   discoidal,   thin,   flattened   or  slightly  convex 

above,  plane  or  plano-concave  below,  umber-brown,  stipitate,  the  out- 
er peridium  smooth,  brittle,  rupturing  irregularly,  the  basal  frag- 
ments somewhat  persistent,  concrete  with  the  inner  peridium,  which 
is  pure  white,  except  near  the  columella,  and  punctate ;  stipe  short, 
variable,  longitudinally  ridged,  jet-black;  hypothallus  none;  columella 
flat,  discoidal,  pale  ochraceous;  capillitium  sparse,  white  or  colorless, 
composed  of  simple,  rarely  forked,  sinuous  threads  occasionally  joined 
by  lateral  branches;  spores  dark  violaceous,  distinctly  warted,  12-14  fi. 

This  species  is  readily  distinguished  by  its  color.  The  sporangia, 
found  on  rotten  wood,  are  large,  1  mm.,  brown,  and  have  thick,  per- 
sistent walls.  Dr.  Rex  considered  that  the  species  differs  from  other 
related  forms  not  only  in  color,  but  in  the  well-marked  discoidal 
columella  and  the  jet-black  irregular  stipe.  It  is  perhaps  most  nearly 
related  to  the  following  species. 

Tennessee. 

15.  DiDERMA  RADIATUM  (Linn.)  Morg. 

Plate  XVIII.,   Fig.   8 

1753.  Lycoperdon  radiatum  Linn.  (?)    Sp.  PL,  1654. 

1797.  Didymium  stellare  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  21. 

1801.  Diderma  stellare   (Schrad.)   Persoon,  Syn.,  p.  164. 

1875.  Chondrioderma  radiatum    (Linn.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.    182. 

1894.  Diderma  radiatum    (Linn.)    Morg.,  Jour.   Cin.  Sac,  p.   66. 
1899.  Diderma  stellare  Schrad.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p  104 

1911.    Diderma  radiatum  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  112. 

Sporangia  scattered,  depressed-globose,  sometimes  also  flattened  be- 
low, stipitate,  smooth  or  slightly  corrugate,  ashen  or  brownish,  about 
1  mm.  in  diameter,  the  peridium  dehiscing  irregularly  or  somewhat 
radiately  from  above  downwards,  the  segments  reflexed,  the  inner 
layer  not  distinguishable,  or  inseparable;  stipe  short,  stout,  brownish, 
sometimes  almost  lacking;  hypothallus  not  conspicuous,  but  some- 
times sufficient  to  connect  the  bases  of  adjacent  stipes;  columella 
large,  hemispherical  or  globose,  pallid  or  yellowish ;  capillitium  abun- 
dant, of  slender  generally  simple,  colored  threads,  paler  at  the  furcate 
tips;  spores  dark  violaceous,  minutely  roughened,  8-11  /t. 


142  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Rare  on  rotten  logs  in  the  forests;  September.  Easily  recognized 
by  the  short-stiped,  ashen  sporangia  which  before  dehiscence  indicate 
by  delicate  tracings  the  lines  which  subsequent  cleavage  is  to  follow. 
In  texture  the  peridium  resembles  that  of  D.  fioriforme. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Virginia,  Colorado,  Washington, 
Oregon ;  Europe  generally. 

The  Linnaean  description  on  which  to  base  the  specific  name 
D.  radiatum  is  wholly  inadequate.  It  appears  also  by  the  testimony 
of  Linne  fils,  that  L.  radiatum  Linne  is  a  lichen !  and  the  name  is  so 
applied  by  Persoon.  But  in  the  Linnasan  herbarium  preserved  at 
London,  teste  Lister,  the  original  type  of  Lycoperdon  radiatum  L. 
may  yet  be  seen !  to  the  confusion  of  fils,  Persoon,  and  other  followers 
of  Schrader  all,  and  our  stellar  species  becomes  radiate  now,  let  us 
hope  for  long! 

16.      DiDERMA   TREVELYANI    (Grev.)   Fr. 

1825.  Leangium  trevelyani  Grev.,   Scot.,   Cr.  FL,  Tab.   132. 

1829.  Diderma  trevelyani   (Grev.)    Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,    III.,  p.  105. 

1875.  Chondrioderma  trevelyani    (Grev.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.    182. 

1877.  Diderma  geasteroides  Phill.,    Grev.,  V.,  p.   113. 

1877.  Diderma  laciniatum  Phill.,   Grev.,  V.,  p.  113. 

Sporangia  scattered,  globose  or  nearly  so,  smooth  or  verruculose, 
reddish-brown  or  rufescent,  sessile  or  short-stipitate,  the  outer  perid- 
ium firm,  splitting  more  or  less  regularly  into  unequal,  revolute, 
petal-like  lobes  which  are  white  within,  the  inner  not  distinguishable 
as  such ;  stipe,  when  present,  equal,  furrowed,  concolorous ;  columella 
small  or  none;  capillitium  abundant,  the  threads  rather  rigid,  purple 
or  purplish  brow^n,  branching  and  anastomosing,  more  or  less  beaded ; 
spores  dark,  violaceous  brown,  spinulose,  10-13  fi. 

In  1876,  Harkness  and  Moore  collected  in  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  of  California,  forms  of  Diderma  which  are  described  by 
Phillips,  Grev.,  V.,  p.  113,  as  D.  geasteroides  and  D.  laciniatum. 
English  authorities  who  have  examined  the  material  agree  that  the 
forms  described  constitute  but  a  single  species,  and  Lister  makes  them 
identical  with  D.  trevelyani  (Grev.)  Fr.  Rostafinski's  figures,  161, 
162,  are  a  curious  reproduction,  evidently,  of  Fried.  Nees  von  Esen- 
beck's,  Plate  IX.,  Fig.  4.     Massee  describes  a  columella;  Lister  says 


D I  DERM  A  143 

there  is  none.  What  may  occasion  such  divergence  of  statement  none 
may  say;  such  forms  as  come  in  so  far  from  our  western  mountains 
have  no  columella. 

17.  DiDERMA  ASTEROIDES  L/j/. 

Plate  XVIIL,   Figs.   3,   3  a 

1902.     Diderma  aster  aides  List,  Jour.  Bot.,  XL,  p.  209. 
1911.     Diderma  asteroides  List.,  Myceiozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  113. 

Sporangia  globose  or  ovoid-globose,  the  apex  more  or  less  acuminate, 
sessile,  sometimes  narrowed  at  the  base  to  a  short,  thick  stalk,  brown 
or  chocolate  tinted,  marked  at  the  apex  by  radiant  lines,  and  at  length 
dehiscent  by  many  reflexing  lobes  revealing  the  snow-white  adherent 
inner  peridium  on  the  exposed  or  upper  side;  columella  also  white, 
globose  or  depressed-globose;  capillitium  generally  colorless,  some- 
what branched,  especially  above;  spores  dark  violaceous,  verruculose, 
10-12  II. 

Oregon,  the  Three  Sisters  Mountains;  Colorado;  California. 

A  very  beautiful  species,  recognizable  at  sight;  when  unopened,  by 
the  peculiar  chocolate  brown,  the  sporangia  smaller  than  in  D.  radi- 
atum.  When  opened,  the  snow-white  flower-like  figure,  flat  against 
the  substratum,  is  definitive.  Very  near  number  16  preceding;  the 
dehiscence  more  regular. 

18.  Diderma  floriforme  (Bull.)  Pers. 

Plate  VIIL,   Figs.    1,    1  a,   1  b. 

1791.     Sphaerocarpus  floriformis  Bulliard,   Champ.,  p.   142,  t.  371. 
1794.     Diderma  floriforme  (Bull.)  Persoon,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  p.  89. 

Sporangia  crowded,  generally  in  dense  colonies,  globose,  smooth, 
ochraceous-white,  stipitate,  the  peridium  thick,  cartilaginous,  splitting 
from  above  into  several  petal-like  lobes,  which  become  speedily  re- 
flexed  exposing  the  swarthy  spore-mass,  the  inner  peridium  not 
discoverable,  inseparable ;  stipe  concolorous,  about  equal  to  the  sporan- 
gium ;  hypothallus,  generally  well  developed,  but  thin,  membrana- 
ceous, common  to  all  the  sporangia;  columella  prominent,  globose  or 
cylindric,  often  constricted  below,  and  prolonged  upward  almost  to 
the  top  of  the  spore-case;  capillitium  of  slender,  delicate,  sparingly 


144  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

branched  threads;  spores  dark  violaceous-brown,  studded  with  scat- 
tered warts,  10-11  )u. 

Not  uncommon,  especially  on  rotten  oak  logs.  Easily  recognized 
by  the  peculiar  form  of  the  fruit,  spherical  before  dehiscence,  flori- 
form  after.  Unlike  most  species,  this  form  often  fruits  in  dark 
places,  in  the  interior  of  a  log,  even  in  the  ground. 

New  England,  Ontario  to  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  and  south. 

19.     DiDERMA  RUGOSUM  (Rex)  Macbr. 
Plate  XVIII.,   Fig.   10. 

1893.     Chondrioderma  rugosum  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  369. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  white  or  ashen,  rugulose  over  the 
whole  surface,  the  ridges  marking  the  lines  of  subsequent  rupture  or 
dehiscence,  the  peridium  thin  papyraceous,  stipitate;  stipe  well  devel- 
oped about  equal  to  the  sporangium,  subulate,  almost  black;  hypo- 
thallus  none;  columella  distinct,  generally  white,  sometimes  small, 
globose,  sometimes  penetrating  the  sporangium,  to  one-half  the 
height ;  capillitium  white  or  colorless,  the  filaments  freely  forked  and 
combined  by  lateral  branches  into  a  loose  network  attached  to  the 
columella  and  basal  wall  below  and  the  upper  sporangial  wall  above ; 
spores  violaceous-brown,  warted,  8-10  /x. 

This  species  is  well  designated  rugosum,  and  is  recognizable  at 
sight  by  its  wrinkled,  areolate  surface.  Related  to  D.  radiatum  in 
the  prefigured  dehiscence,  but  otherwise  very  distinct.  Liable  to  be 
overlooked  as  a  prematurely  dried  physarum.  Rare.  Plasmodium 
gray. 

North  Carolina,  Iowa. 

4.     Lepidoderma  DeBary 

1858.     Lepidoderma  DeBy.,  MS.  Rost.,   Versuch,  p.   13. 

Sporangia  stalked  or  sessile;  peridium  cartilaginous,  adorned  with- 
out with  large  calcareous  scales,  superficial  or  shut  in  lenticular  cavi- 
ties; capillitium  non-calcareous.^ 

^  If  a  sporangium  of  L.  tigrinum  be  mounted  in  water  and  treated  to  weak 
solution  of  hydro-chloric  acid  we  may  easily  discover  that  the  crystals,  which 
so  wonderfully  adorn  the  outer  wall  in  this  and  other  species,  consist,  in  part 


LEPIDODERMA  145 

Key  to  Speciea  of  Lepidoderma 

A.  Sporangia  stipitate,  stipe  brown \.     L.  t'tgrinum 

B.  Sporangia  sessile,  plasmodiocarpous,  spores  10-12  M       2.     L.  carestianum 

C.  Sporangia  plasmodiocarpous,  spores  8-10  /*  .         .         .         2.    L.  chailletii 

1.  Lepidoderma  tigrinum  (Schrad.)  Rost. 

Plate  XIV.,  Fig.  7. 

1797.    Didymium  tigrinum  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  Plantarum,  p.  22. 
1873.    Lepidoderma  tigrinum   (Schrad.)   Rest.,  Versuch,  p.  13. 

Sporangia  scattered,  rather  large,  hemispherical-depressed,  stipitate, 
umbilicate  beneath,  the  peridium  shining,  olivaceous  or  purplish, 
tough,  covered  more  or  less  abundantly  with  angular  scales ;  the  stipe 
stout,  furrowed,  dark  brown,  but  containing  calcareous  deposits 
withal,  tapering  upward,  and  continued  within  the  peridium  as  a 
pronounced  more  or  less  calcareous  columella;  hypothallus  more  or 
less  prominent,  yellowish  or  brownish ;  capillitium  dark,  purplish- 
brown,  of  sparingly  branching  threads  radiating  from  the  columella ; 
spores  dull  purplish-brown,  minutely  roughened,  10—12  /x. 

A  singular  species,  rare,  but  easily  recognized  by  its  peculiar, 
placoid  scales,  large  and  firmly  embedded  in  the  peridial  wall.  The 
internal  structure  is  essentially  that  of  Diderma  or  Didymium.  The 
species  occurs  in  hilly  or  mountainous  regions,  on  moss-covered  logs. 
The  Plasmodium  pale  yellow,  some  part  of  it  not  infrequently  re- 
mains as  a  venulose  hypothallus  connecting  such  sporangia  as  are  near 
together. 

New  England  to  Washington  and  Oregon ;  Vancouver  Island. 

2.  Lepidoderma  carestianum  {Rabenh.)  Rost. 

1862.     Reticularia  carestiana  Rabenh.,  MS.  Fung.  Eur.  exsic,  No.  436. 
1875.     Lepidoderma  carestianum    (Rabenh.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  188. 
1891.     Amaurochaete  minor  Sacc.  &  Ell.,  Mich.,  II.,  p.  566. 

at  least,  of  calcium  carbonate.  We  may  also  discover  that  in  the  case  before 
us  the  crystal  or  scale  lies  indeed  enclosed  in  a  filmy  sac  of  organic  origin,  and 
that  could  we  have  seen  the  outer  peridium  as  it  came  to  form,  we  might  prob- 
ably have  found  it  made  up  largely  of  an  ectosarcous  foam  in  whose  cavities 
the  excreted  calcium  found  place  for  tabulate  crystallization.  In  other  species 
listed,  conditions  are  different,  and  the  crystals  assume  a  different  shape.  The 
phrase  "bicarbonate  of  lime"  quoted  in  this  connection  in  the  former  edition 
of  this  work  from  Mr.  Massee's  Monograph,  etc.,  is  not  clear. 

11 


146  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Fructification  in  the  form  of  flat,  pulvinate  plasmodiocarps,  or, 
anon,  sporangiate,  the  sporangia  sessile,  sub-globose,  ellipsoidal,  elon- 
gate, irregular,  confluent,  yellowish-grey,  the  peridium  covered  more 
or  less  completely  with  dull  white,  crystals  or  crystal-like  scales; 
columella,  where  visible,  yellowish-brown,  calcareous;  capillitium, 
coarse,  rigid,  more  or  less  branched  and  united,  or  colorless,  delicate, 
forming  a  definite  net;  spores  distinctly  warted,  purple  10-12  /x. 

This  is  a  most  remarkable  species.  The  sporangiate  forms  little 
resemble  those  distinctly  plasmodiocarpal.  In  the  former  the  calcic 
scales  and  crystals  are  distinct  and  quite  as  in  L.  tigrinum;  in  the 
latter  they  are  cuboid,  irregular.  The  wall  of  the  peridium  in  the 
plasmodiocarps  at  hand  is  black,  and  the  covering  accordingly  shows 
white ;  in  the  sporangial  forms  the  wall  is  brown,  and  the  scales  have 
a  yellow  tinge  as  if  tinged  with  iron.  In  the  sporangial  presentation 
the  capillitium  is  intricate  delicate;  in  the  plasmodiocarp,  rigid,  dark- 
colored,  etc.  This  looks  like  a  didymium  and  in  so  far  justifies  the 
opinion  of  earlier  students.  Fries,  of  course,  includes  all  these  things 
with  the  didymiums,  and  D.  squamulosum  probably  often  sheltered 
them  under  extended  wing. 

Didymium  granuliferum  Phill.,  Grev.,  V.,  p.  114,  from  Cali- 
fornia is  by  European  authors  referred  here.  The  capillitium  carries 
calcareous  crystalline  deposits  in  special  vesicles  and  the  spores  show 
remarkable  variation  in  unusual  size — 15—30  ju.^ 

Should  probably  be  entered  Lepidoderma  granuliferum  (Phill.) 
Fr.,  spores  15-18  fi. 

Utah, — Harkness. 

3.     Lepidoderma  chailletii  Rost. 

Plate  XVIII.,  Figs.  6,  6  a,  6  b. 

Sporangia  distinct,  coalescent  or  plasmodiocarpous,  large,  when  iso- 
lated 1-1.5  mm.,  dull  drab  in  color,  very  sparsely  sprinkled  with 
white  tetrahedral  or  irregular  scales;  the  peridium  thin,  more  or  less 
translucent,  rugulose,  dull  brown,  persistent ;  columella  none ;  capil- 
litium abundant,  under  the  lens  purple-brown,   sparingly  branched, 

1  Doubtless  immature ;  v.  Mitteil,  Natur<vjiss.  GeseU.  Wintert.,  VI.,  p.  64, 
Lister  quoted  by  Schinz. 


LEPIDODERMA  147 

even,  stout,  rigid,  no  calcareous  deposits  nor  vesicles;  spores  8-10  jx, 
minutely  warted,  fuliginous. 

Yosemite  Canon,  California,  Prof.  B.  Shimek. 

This  is,  no  doubt,  similar  to  L.  carestianum  but  differs  in  the  size 
and  habit  of  the  sporangia,  and  in  the  fact  that  the  capillitium  is 
uniform  throughout,  whatever  the  style  of  fructification,  and  in  the 
size,  color,  and  surface  characters  of  the  spore. 

Evidently  not  Didymium  granuliferum  Phill.  Both  will,  no 
doubt,  be  again  collected,  and  we  shall  then  have  much  needed  light. 

Nor  is  this  quite  Rostafinski's  species  as  cited.  The  spores  are 
much  smaller;  Rostafinski  says  10-12  or  more,  and  calls  for  a  dis- 
tinctly netted  capillitium,  the  surface  strongly  marked  by  abundant 
calcareous  crystals.     Ours  may  be  a  different  thing. 

5.     Colloderma  G.  Lister 
1910.     Colloderma,  Jour,  of  Botany,  XLVIII.,  p.  312. 
Peridium  double;  the  outer  gelatinous,  the  inner  membranaceous; 
capillitium  intricate,  limeless. 

Colloderma  oculatum  (Lipp.)  G.  Lister. 

1894.    Didymium  oculatum  Lipp,,  Verh.  Zo-Bot.  Ges.  Wien,  XLIV.,  p.  74. 
1910.     Colloderma  oculatum   (Lipp.)   G.  List,  Jour.  Bot.,  XLVIIL,  p.  312. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  or  sub-globose,  sessile  or  short-stipi- 
tate,  olivaceous  or  purplish-brown,  smooth  and  shining,  the  outer 
peridium  gelatinous,  thickened  by  moisture,  hyaline;  stipe  dark 
brown ;  columella  none ;  capillitium  as  in  Didymium  purplish-brown, 
colorless  at  the  tips;  spores  spinulose,  fuscous,  about  12  fi. 

New  Hampshire,  Europe. 

Our  specimens  from  the  late  Dr.  W.  G.  Farlow  who  collected  it 
in  New  Hampshire.  Swollen  by  immersion  in  water  the  sporangia 
take  on  an  eye-like  appearance,  oculate,  etc. 

EXTRA-LIMITAL 

Physarina  von  Hbhnel. 

1909.  Physarina  von  Hohnel,  Akad.  IViss.  IVien;  Math-nat.  KL.,  CXVIIL, 
p.  431. 


148  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangium  wall  rough  with  blunt  spine-like  processes,  otherwise 
as  Diderma. 

One  species,  op.  cit.,  p.  432,  P.  echinocephala  v.  Hohn. 

Java.  Might  as  well  be  called  Diderma  echinocephalum,  one 
would  think.  Structure  is  that  of  Leangium.  The  striking  character 
is  a  surface  modification  of  the  outer  peridium,  according  to  the 
description. 

Order  II 

STEMONITALES 

Capillitium  present,  thread-like,  arising  in  typical  cases  from  a  well- 
developed  columella;  spores  in  mass,  black  or  violet-brown,  more 
rarely  ferruginous. 

Key  to  the  Families  of  Stemonitales 

A.  Fructification  aEthalioid,  capillitium  poorly  defined;  columella  rudimentary 

or   none AMAUROCHiCTACEiE 

B.  Fructification  of  distinct  sporangia,  capillitium  well  defined ;  the  columella 

generally  prominent,  long  and  abundantly  branched  throughout 

Stemonitace^ 

C.  Sporangia  distinct;  capillitium  developed  chiefly  or  only,  from  the  sum- 

mit  of   the   columella LAMPRODERMACEiE 

A.    AMAUROCH^TACE^ 

Fructification  aethalioid,  an  inch  or  two  in  diameter,  in  form  vary- 
ing with  the  habitat  and  place ;  capillitium  dendroid,  consisting  of 
rather  stout  branches  which  rise  irregularly  more  or  less  vertically 
from  the  hypothallus,  branch  repeatedly,  often  anastomose  to  form  a 
network,  especially  toward  the  periphery;  spores  black. 

A  single  genus  — 

1.     Amaurochaete  Rostafinski 

1873.    Amaurochaete  Rost.,  Versuch.,  p.  8. 

The  genus  A maurochaete  as  defined  by  Rostafinski  and  the  genus 
Reticularia  as  represented  by  R.  lycoperdon  Bull,  stand,  the  expres- 
sion, perhaps,  of  not  dissimilar  histories.     Whether  in  regressive  or 


AMAUROCHJETE  149 

progressive  series,  each  to-day  presents  a  case  of  arrested  development. 
Each  in  aethalioid  fructification,  reveals  a  mass  of  involved  indi- 
vidual (?)  sporangia,  so  imperfectly  developed  that  their  outlines 
can  be  inferred  rather  than  anywhere,  with  absolute  definiteness, 
certainly  ascertained.  Perhaps,  because  similar  sporangia  in  the  group 
to  which  either  belongs,  do  come  under  other  circumstances,  to  more 
perfect  individual  form  and  function  —  perhaps  for  this  reason  we 
may  look  upon  these  asthalia  as  exhibiting  a  suspended  performance; 
the  sporangia  have  failed  to  go  forward  to  what  was  evidently  a 
possible,  though  apparently  not  an  essential  destiny  in  form  and  figure. 
For  the  care  and  dispersal  of  the  spores,  achievement  must  surely  be 
somewhat  impaired.  Whatever  the  measure  of  such  inefficiency, 
among  the  Stemonitales  Amaurochnete  shows  the  acme,  as  Reticularia 
among  the  brown-spored  forms. 

In  Amaurochaete  the  individuality  of  anything  like  separate  spo- 
rangia is  less  clear.  The  view  afforded,  however,  by  a  good  vertical 
section  of  a  well-developed  colony  or  cushion  is  interestingly  abores- 
cent.  Ragged,  dendroid  stems  arise,  dissipated  above  into  a  network 
most  intricate,  a  "pleached  arbor"  if  you  please.  The  resemblance  of 
the  overhead  net  to  that  presented  by  a  stemonitis  or  comatricha  is 
very  striking. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Amaurochaete 

A.  Capillitium  rigid,   irregular  spores   rough         .         .         \.     A.  fuliginosa 

B.  Capillitium  soft,  woolly,  cincinnate,  spores  as  in  A  2.     A.  iubulina 

1.     Amaurochaete  fuliginosa  (Sowerby)  Macbr. 
Plate  V.,  Figs.  8,  8  a. 

1803.     Lycoperdon  fuliginosum  Sow.,  Eng.  Fung.,  t.  257. 
180S.     Lycogala  atrum,  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Consp.  Fung.,  p.  83. 
1875.    Amaurochaete  atra   (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Rost,  Mon.,  p.  211. 

Fructification  aethalioid,  varying  in  form  and  size,  if  on  the  upper 
side  of  the  substratum,  pulvinate,  if  below  pendent  and  almost  stipi- 
tate,  covered  with  a  delicate  cortex,  at  first  shining,  soon  dull,  black, 
fragile,  and  early  dissipated ;  hypothallus  long-persisting,  supporting 
the  capillitium,  which  is  extremely  variable,  irregular,  and  for  its 


150  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

perfection  dependent  upon  the  form  assumed  by  the  asthalium,  and 
the  conditions  of  weather,  etc.,  under  which  it  matures,  sometimes, 
especially  when  prostrate,  in  a  very  much  depressed  asthalium,  spread- 
ing into  long  fibrous  threads,  again  under  better  conditions  rising  in 
columella-like  forms,  supporting  a  peripheral  net;  spores  dark  brown 
or  black,  irregularly  globose,  spinulose,  12.5-15  /x. 

Common  in  Europe,  and  probably  not  uncommon  in  this  country 
wherever  pine  forests  occur.  Specimens  before  us  are  from  New 
England  and  New  York,  Ohio,  Carolina,  Colorado.     Canada. 

Sowerby,  in  his  comment  on  plate  257,  Eng.  Fungi,  says:  "It  ap- 
pears to  consist  of  branching  threads  affixed  to  the  deal  and  holding 
a  dense  mass  of  sooty  powder.  Over  the  whole  is  a  thin,  deciduous 
pellicle."  This  description  seems  to  be  applicable  to  nothing  else. 
The  figure  amounts  to  little.  Fries  recognizes  the  English  description, 
as  does  Rostafinski,  but  both  authors  adopt  the  later  name  given  by 
Albertini  and  Schweinitz,  simply  because  of  the  excellent  detailed 
description  found  in  the  Conspectus. 

Amauroch^te  tubulina  (Alb.  ^  Schiu.)  Macbr. 
Plate  XX.,  6  and  6  a. 

1805.     Sicmonitis  tubulina    (Alb.  &  Schw.),   Cons.  Fung.,  p.   102. 

1825.     Lachnobolus  cribrosus  Fr.,  Syst.  Orb.  Vcg.,  p.  14. 

1912.  Amaurochaete  cribrosa  (Fr.)  Macbr.,  Com.  in  litt.  to  Herbaria, 
Harvard,  etc.^ 

1917.  Amaurochaete  cribrosa  (Fr.)  Sturg.,  G.  Lister,  Jour.  Bot.,  LVIII, 
p.  109. 

Plasmodium  at  first  transparent  then  white  then  rosy,  ashen  or 
grey  finally  deepening  to  jet-black;  the  aethalium  even,  thin,  variable 
in  extent  from  one  to  ten  centimeters,  covered  by  a  distinct  but  thin 
transparent  cortex,  papillate,  extended  laterally  but  a  short  distance 
beyond  the  fructification,  fragile,  soon  disappearing ;  hypothallus  long- 
persistent,  thin,  silvery,  supporting  the  'capillitium  as  if  by  stipes, 
short  slender  columns,  irregular  plates,  expansions,  etc. ;  the  capil- 
litium an  intricate  network,  very  abundant,  elastic,  on  fall  of  the 
peridium  appearing  like  tiny  tufts  of  wool,  the  meshes  large,  but 
formed  as  in  Stemonitis,  persistent,  dull  black ;  spores,  under  the  lens, 
dull  olivaceous  black,  minutely  roughened,  12—14  /i. 

iVid.  Mycologia,  N.  Y.,  Vol.  IX.,  p.  328. 


AMAUROCHMTE  151 

This  species  differs  from  the  preceding,  already  well  known,  espe- 
cially in  the  capillitial  characters.  In  the  older  species  the  capillitial 
branches  fray  out,  and  are  only  sparingly  united  into  a  net  extremely 
lax.  In  the  present  form  the  net  is  the  thing,  common  to  all  spo- 
rangia. The  total  effect  is  to  lend  to  the  blown-out  aethalium  a 
woolly  appearance,  entirely  unlike  that  of  its  congener  under  the  same 
conditions.  But  until  fructification  is  quite  mature,  the  presence 
of  the  collaborating  sporangia  below  is  indicated,  suggested,  by  the 
papillose  upper  surface. 

The  amaurochetes  are  remarkable  in  that  they  appear  upon  conif- 
erous wood,  logs  or  lumber,  to  all  appearance  undecayed.  The  spe- 
cies just  described  developed  abundantly  in  August  on  the  recently 
decorticated  logs  of  Pitius  ponderosa,  on  the  southwestern  slopes  of 
Mt.  Rainier,  Washington.  In  logging  operations  in  the  locality  re- 
ferred to,  the  trees  are  felled  often  at  considerable  distance  from  the 
mill.  They  are  not  infrequently  large,  75-120  cm.  in  diameter. 
The  logs  are  dragged  along  the  ground,  the  transportation  facilitated 
by  removal  of  the  bark  from  the  new  fallen  trunk.  In  a  few  weeks' 
time,  affected  by  alternate  rain  and  sun,  the  whole  surface  becomes 
marked  with  hundreds  of  minute,  almost  invisible  cracks,  and  it  is  in 
the  larger  of  these  that  the  plasmodium  of  the  present  species  has  its 
habitat.  Hardly  any  mycologic  phenomenon  is  more  surprising  than 
to  see  Plasmodia  rising  to  fructification,  scores  at  a  time,  upon  a  sur- 
face, new  and  white,  showing  otherwise  no  evidence  of  any  decom- 
position. Doubtless  the  persisting  cambium,  the  unused  starches, 
sugars,  the  wood  of  the  season  yet  unlignified,  afford  easily  accessible 
nutrition. 

When  this  form  was  first  examined  in  the  laboratory  its  distinct- 
ness was  immediately  seen.  It  was  without  doubt  Fries'  cribrose 
reticularia ;  nobody  questions  that.  Under  this  name,  citing  Fries' 
description,  specimens  were  sent  out  to  herbaria  as  Harvard.  Further 
study  of  the  records,  however,  soon  convinces  one  familiar  with  the 
ontogeny  of  the  case  that  we  are  here  face  to  face  with  the  species, 
described  by  Alb.  &  Schw.  in  their  fine  Conspectus.  Their  account 
of  the  form,  evidently  often  taken  and  now  described  with  great  care, 
is  entirely  clear  when  read  in  presence  of  the  facts.     It  is  here  sub- 


152  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

mitted,  as  less  easy  of  access  but  essential,  if  the  reader  would  appre- 
ciate the  present  disposal  of  the  species. 

"S.  Tubulina  nobis 

"S.  magna  pulvinata  subhemisphaerica,  stylidiis  gregartis  circin- 
antibus,  capillitiis  elongatis  cylindraceis  in  massam  pulveraceam  fus- 
cam  connatis,  apicibus  obtusis,  prominulis ,  lucidis  nigris. 

"The  size  indeed,  the  circumscribed  form,  the  capillitiums  con- 
joined into  a  single  body  —  indue  this  (form)  with  an  appearance 
peculiar  to  a  degree ;  however,  should  anyone  prefer  to  call  it  a  very 
remarkable  variety  of  the  preceding  {S.  fasciculata),  we  shall  not 
strenuously  refuse.  At  first  glance  it  looks  like  a  tubulina.  After 
the  fashion  of  its  kind,  the  beginning  is  soft  and  milky.  The  diam- 
eter generally  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches,  the  height  four  to  six 
lines;  the  form  perfectly  round,  or  more  rarely  somewhat  oblong. 
The  hypothallus,  stout,  pellucid  silvery,  betimes  iridescent,  when 
turned  to  the  light,  easily  separable  from  the  substratum,  bears  the 
columellae,  dusky,  thin,  hair-like,  aggregate  and  yet  entirely  free,  and 
everywhere  circinately  convergent,  depressed  by  the  super-imposed 
burden,  hence  decumbent:  ....  the  capillitium  loosely  inter- 
woven, coalesces  to  a  common  mass  whose  smooth  and  shining  sur- 
face shows  above,  regularly  disposed  minute  papillae,  the  apices  of 
individual  sporangia. 

"Far  from  infrequent,  on  decorticate  pine,  of  Lycogala  atrum  a 
constant  companion"! 

It  goes  of  course  without  saying,  that  for  the  authors  quoted, 
Lycogala  atrum  is  Amaurochaete  atra  Rost.  A.  fuliginosa  (Sow.)  of 
more  recent  students,  described  and  perfectly  figured  in  the  volume 
cited. 

It  is  surprising  that  they  did  not  enter  the  present  species  also  as  a 
lycogala.  But  the  stemonitis  relationship  this  time  impressed  them 
rather  than  the  aethalial ;  besides  they  were  misled  by  the  S.  fascicu- 
lata of  Gmelin  and  Persoon,  a  composite  which  the  genius  of  Fries 
hardly  availed  to  disentangle  twenty-five  years  later. 

The  last  named  author,  as  we  see,  wrote  first  Lachnobolus,  then 
Reticularia.     He  calls  the  interwoven  capillitium  —  lachne,  wool,  a 


AMAUROCHJETE  153 

"pilam  tactu  eximie  elasticam,"  etc.  He  read  the  description  in  the 
Conspectus,  but  carried  away  the  stemonitis  suggestion  dominant 
there,  as  we  have  seen,  put  S.  tubulina  A.  &  S.  as  an  undeveloped 
phase  of  S.  fusca,  which,  of  course,  it  is  not.  It  needed  not  the 
authority  of  Rostafinski,  Mon.,  p.  197,  to  assure  us  this.  The  earlier 
authors  describe  the  species  in  course  of  development  to  complete 
maturity,  and  clinch  the  story  by  declaring  the  form  a  constant  com- 
panion of  the  commonly  recognized  amaurochcte,  so  fixing  the  rela- 
tionship for  us  by  habitat  also. 

These  men  made  a  mistake,  of  course,  in  placing  their  species  among 
the  stemonites  at  all.  They  did  much  better  however  than  Fries  who 
called  it  a  reticularia.  It  was  also  a  mistake  to  cite  S.  fasciculata,  — 
the  small  fasciculate  tufts  of  S.  fusca  and  S.  axifera  oflFering  by  the 
aggregate  habit  only  faint  resemblance, — a  possible  refuge  for  those 
who  would  prefer  another  disposition  of  their  species  distinct  (aliena) 
though  it  is. 

Since  Fries'  day  the  species  has  been  overlooked  although  the  genus 
has  received  more  than  once  attention.  Zukal  Hedwigia,  XXXV.,  p. 
335,  describes  A.  speciosa  as  a  new  species.  This  Saccardo  writes 
down,  Syll.  Fung.,  VII.,  p.  399,  S.  tubulina  A.  &  S.,  admitting,  how- 
ever, at  the  same  time,  that  as  fine  an  authority  as  Raciborsky  refuses 
to  call  Zukal's  species  either  a  stemonite  or  an  amaurochete,  thinks  it 
deserving  generic  appellation  of  its  own. 

However,  A.  speciosa  Zuk.  need  not  here  concern  us.  Neither  in 
his  description  nor  figures  does  Zukal  at  all  approach  the  form  we 
study.  His  species  is  not  an  amaurochete ;  the  size  of  the  spores  sug- 
gest that,  to  say  nothing  of  the  capillitial  structure. 

In  the  same  volume  VII.,  the  distinguished  author  introduces  an- 
other amaurochete,  A.  minor  Sacc.  &  Ellis,  Mich.  II.,  p.  566  This 
is  American ;  sent  from  Utah  by  our  famous  pioneer  collector 
Harkness.  A  specimen  is  before  us:  it  is  a  lepidoderma!  in  shining, 
scaly  armor  dressed;  vid.  under  L.  carestianum. 

Since  the  distribution  of  Washington  material,  as  mentioned,  our 
species  reappears  at  various  points  in  western  Europe,  points  in  Eng- 
land, etc.,  and  will  no  doubt  now  share,  hereafter  as  a  century  ago, 
the  habitat  so  long  conceded  to  the  long  familiar  older  type. 


154  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

B.     STEMONITACEiE 

Capillitium  abundant,  springing  usually  as  dissipating  branches 
from  all  parts  of  the  columella;  the  sporangia  generally  definite  and 
distinct,  though  sometimes  closely  placed  and  generally  rising  from  a 
common  hypothallus. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Stemonitaceae 

A.  Fructification  aethalioid;  capillitium  charged  with  vesicles       1.     Brefeldia 

B.  Sporangia  distinct,  or  nearly  so. 

a.  Stipe  and  columella  jet-black. 

1.  Capillitium  so  united  as  to  form  a  surface  net    2.    Stemonitis 

2.  Capillitial  branch-tips  free         ...         3.     Comatricha 

b.  Stipe  and  columella  whitish;  calcareous         .         .        4.     D'tachaea 

1.      Brefeldia  Rostafinski 

1873.     Brefeldia  Rost.,   Versuch,  p.  8. 

Sporangia  occupying  in  the  asthalium  several  layers,  those  of  the 
median,  and  especially  of  the  lowest  layers,  furnished  with  columellas 
which  blend  beneath ;  capillitium  threads  in  the  lowest  layers  arising 
from  the  columella,  in  the  upper  extending  radiately  between  the 
individual  sporangia,  and  united  at  the  sporangial  limits  by  means  of 
rather  large  inflated  sacs. 

The  genus  Brefeldia  is,  like  some  others,  difficult  to  dispose  of  in 
any  scheme  of  classification  where  linear  sequence  must  be  followed. 
Rostafinski  placed  it  in  an  order  by  itself.  Its  relationships  are  on 
the  one  hand  with  Arnaurochaete  and  Reticularia,  and  on  the  other 
with  the  Stemonitales,  though  easily  distinguished  from  either.  It  is 
intermediate  to  Arnaurochaete  and  StemonitiSj  and  withal,  as  it  ap- 
pears to  us,  a  little  nearer  the  latter,  as  the  limits  of  the  individual 
sporangia  are  in  Brefeldia  pretty  well  defined. 

1.     Brefeldia  maxima  (Fr.)  Rost. 

Plate  V.,  Figs.  7,  7  a,  7  b,  and  Plates  XXL,  XXII. 

1825.     Reticularia  maxima  Fries,  Syst.  Orb.  Veg.,  I.,  p.  147. 
1875.     Brefeldia  maxima   (Fr.)   Rost.,   Versuch.,  p.  8. 

/Ethalium  large,  four  to  twenty  cm,  papillate  above,  violet-black  at 
first,   then   purple  or  purple-brown,   developed   upon   a   widespread, 


B RE F ELD  I A  155 

silver-shining  hypothallus;  sporangia  in  favorable  cases  distinct,  indi- 
cated above  by  the  papillae;  columellas  obscure,  black;  capillitium 
abundant,  the  threads  uniting  by  multifid  ends  to  surround  as  with  a 
net  the  peculiar  vesicles;  spore-mass  dark  violet-black,  the  individual 
spores  paler  by  transmitted  light,  distinctly  papillose,  12-15  fi. 

A  very  remarkable  species  and  one  of  the  largest,  rivalled  by  Fuligo 
only.  To  be  compared  with  Reticularia,  which  it  resembles  somewhat 
externally,  and  with  some  of  the  larger  specimens  of  Enteridium. 
The  Plasmodium  at  first  white  with  a  bluish  tinge  is  developed  abun- 
dantly in  rotten  wood,  preferably  a  large  oak  stump,  and  changes  color 
as  maturity  comes  on,  much  in  the  fashion  of  Stemonitis  splendens, 
leaving  a  widespread  hypothallic  film  to  extend  far  around  the  per- 
fected fruit-mass.  In  well-matured  jethalia,  "Jove  favente,"  the  spo- 
rangia stand  out  perfectly  distinct,  particularly  above  and  around  the 
margins.  Closely  and  compactly  crowded,  they  become  prismatic  by 
mutual  pressure,  and  attain  sometimes  the  height  of  half  an  inch  or 
more.  In  the  centre  of  the  fructification,  next  the  hypothallus,  the 
sporangia  are  very  imperfectly  differentiated.  Many  are  here  hori- 
zontally placed,  and  perhaps  supplied  with  an  imperfectly  formed 
peridium,  —  if  so  are  to  be  interpreted  the  lowest  parts  of  the  capil- 
litial  structure,  the  long,  branching,  ribbon-like  strands  which  lie 
along  the  hypothallus.  Some  of  these  branch  repeatedly  with  flat 
anastomosing  branchlets,  ultimately  fray  out  into  lengthened  threads, 
and  perish  after  all  the  superstructure  has  been  blown  away.  From 
every  part  of  the  structure  so  described,  but  more  especially  from  the 
margins,  are  given  of?  in  profusion  the  strange  cystiferous  threads,  so 
characteristic  of  this  genus.  These  are  exceeding  delicate  filaments, 
attached  at  one  end,  it  may  be,  to  a  principal  branch,  at  the  other  free 
or  united  to  a  second  which  again  joins  a  third,  and  so  looping  and 
branching,  dividing,  they  form  a  more  or  less  extended  network,  a 
capillitium  in  which  are  entangled  the  myriad  spores.  Each  filament 
bears  at  its  middle  point  (or  is  it  the  meeting-point  of  two?)  a  pecu- 
liar plexus  which  embraces  several  large  cysts  or  vesicles  whose  func- 
tion or  further  homology  does  not  readily  appear. 

From  the  base  of  the  fructification  rise  also  ascending  branches 
which  are  black,  terete,  and  not  infrequently  branched  as  if  to  form 


156  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

the  capillitium  of  a  stemonitis.  These  ascending  branches  are  in 
many  cases,  probably  in  all,  real,  though  as  yet  imperfectly  developed, 
columellae.  They  rise,  at  least  in  many  cases,  directly  from  the  hypo- 
thallus,  each  is  central  to  an  individual  sporangium,  rises  to  about 
two-thirds  its  height,  but  never  attains  the  summit.  The  sporangia 
are  so  crowded  that  many  are  choked  off  below,  never  reach  the  top 
of  the  aethalium.  In  such  cases  the  columella  may  cease  at  the  spo- 
rangium-top. The  columella  bears  cystiferous  threads  sparingly,  if  at 
all;  nevertheless  these  abound  in  the  peripheral  portions  of  the  spo- 
rangium all  the  way  up,  and  are  especially  noticeable  beyond  the 
level  of  the  top  of  the  columella.  Many  are  so  arranged  that  the 
plexus  with  its  vesicles  occupies  a  place  in  the  plane  separating  adja- 
cent sporangia,  suggesting  the  possibility  that  we  have  here  to  do 
with  an  imperfectly  developed  surface-net  and  peridium.  In  this 
view  the  cysts  would  represent  the  meeting-point  of  two  opposite 
radial  capillitial  threads  rather  than  the  middle  of  one.  This  accords 
with  Rostafinski's  observations  and  drawings.  The  cysts,  then,  be- 
long morphologically  to  the  peridium  or  sporangium  wall.  It  is  a 
stemonitis  whose  sporangia  have  never  been  perfectly  differentiated, 
a  case  of  arrested  development.  See  further  under  Stemonitis 
confluens. 

Rostafinski  really  offers  the  first  definitive  description.  P'ries  prob- 
ably distinguished  it,  but  his  description  would  not  indicate  the  fact 
except  for  the  added  note  wherein  appears  the  reason  for  discarding 
an  apparently  older  name,  viz.,  that  given  by  Link.  But  neither 
Link  nor  Sowerby  distinguished  by  description  or  figure  Brefeldia 
from  Amaurochaete. 

Throughout  the  northern  forest;  Maine  to  Vancouver  Island:  not 
common. 

2.     Stemonitis  (Gleditsch)  Rost. 

1753.     Stemonitis  Gleditsch,  in  part,  Meth.  Fung.,  p.  140. 
1873.     Stemonitis   (Gleditsch)   Rost,  Versuch,  p.  7. 

Sporangia  distinct,  though  often  closely  aggregate,  cylindric,  stipi- 
tate;  columella  prominent;  capillitium  well  developed  by  repeated 
lateral  and  apical  branching  of  the  columella,  at  length  assuming  at 
the  surface  the  form  of  a  distinct  net  which  supports  an  evanescent 
peridium. 


STEMONITIS  157 

The  genus  is  marked  by  its  surface-net  supported  at  the  tips  of  the 
dichotomously  branched  divisions  of  the  columella.  Over  the  net  is 
spread,  theoretically  at  least,  the  peridial  film  supported  by  very  short 
points  projecting  from  the  net,  —  the  peridial  processes;  the  peridium, 
however,  is  seldom  seen;  in  some  cases,  certainly,  is  never  developed. 
Rostafinski  first  defined  the  genus  as  employed  by  recent  writers. 
Gleditsch  simply  renamed  Micheli's  Clathroidastrum;  all  writers 
subsequent  included  species  of  other  genera. 

The  taxonomy  of  this  genus  is  of  the  most  difficult.  Macroscopic, 
defining  characters  are  few,  and  even  these  sometimes  uncertain. 
Microscopic  distinctions  also  tend  to  be  illusive,  variable  in  such 
fashion  that  often  at  the  critical  point  the  most  exact  description 
fails.  All  that  may  be  done  at  present  is  to  recognize  two  or  three 
definite  types  and  then  cautiously  differentiate  among  these  with  the 
light  we  have,  until  more  general  study  of  the  group  brings  to  service 
a  wider  range  of  observation  with  more  comprehensive  record  on 
which  judgment  may  better  be  sustained. 

We  have  before  us  many  and  beautiful  forms  of  this  genus  yet  un- 
studied. Some  of  these  doubtless  have  already  found  place  in  our 
growing  taxonomic  literature ;  some  apparently  undescribed ;  all  to 
wait  wider  leisure  or  perhaps  a  younger  hand. 

The  entire  life-history  of  every  form  is  none  too  much  if  we  would 
set  out  with  any  hope  of  accuracy  the  genetic  relationships  for  which 
taxonomy  stands.  Recently  European  students  are  making  the  color 
of  the  Plasmodium  a  basis  for  species-discrimination,  which  is  good  so 
far.  But  plasmodic  characters  are  at  present  unserviceable  generally, 
for  two  reasons;  they  vary  in  the  same  species;  and  unfortunately, 
when  most  needed,  they  are  unknown  and  inaccessible.  The  student 
is  generally  confronted  by  forms  mature,  the  plasmodic  stage  already 
past. 

Key  to  the  Species   of  Stemonitis 

A.  Sporangia  connately  united. 

a.  Spores  verruculose 1.     5.  confluens 

b.  Spores  reticulate 2.     S.  trechispora 

B.  Sporangia  at  maturity  distinct. 

a.     Spore-mass  grayish  black. 

1.     Larger,  8-12  mm.  spores  distinctly  reticulate  or  warted,  hut 
sometimes  nearly  smooth      .        .        .         .         3.     S.  fusca 


158  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

2.     Spores  reticulate  and   spinulose. 

i.     Spores  adherent,  clustered       .         .         .     4.  5.  wvifera 
ii.     Sporangia  very  tall,  15—20  mm,,  rigid 

5.     S.  dictyospora 
iii.     Sporangia  short,  jet-  or  violet-black      6.   S.  nigrescens 

b.  Spore-mass   rich   brown. 

1.  Columella  central. 

i.     Sporangia  shorter,  5-6  mm.,  spores  banded 

7.    S.  <virginiensis 
ii.     Sporangia    8-10   mm.;    spores   verruculose 

8.     S.  ivehberi 
iii.     Sporangia  tall,  15-20  mm.  or  more       9.    S.  splendens 

2.  Columella  eccentric,  sporangium  in  cross-section,  angular 

10.    S.   fenestrata 

c.  Spore-mass  ferruginous;  sporangia  in  tufts. 

1.     Spores  smooth  or  nearly  so. 

i.     Sporangia   pale,   small,   3-5   mm.,   crowded,  stipe  un- 
polished          \\,     S.  smithii 

ii.     Sporangia  ferruginous;  columella  regular 

12.     S.  axifera 
iii.     Sporangia  ferruginous;  columella  proliferate  just  be- 
low  the   apex         .         .         .         13.     5.   ftavogenita 
iv.     Sporangia,   spore-mass,  dusky-purplish  or  brown. 
*  On  dead  wood. 

°  Scattered,  apex  blunt      .         14.     S.  pallida 
Clustered,  acuminate       15.     S.  carolinensis 
**  On  living  leaves,  preferably,  spore-mass  brown 
16.     S.  herbatica 

1.     Stemonitis  confluens  Cooke  ^  Ellis. 
Plate  XL,  Figs.  4,  4  a,   5. 

1876.  Stemonitis  confluens  Cke.  &  Ell.,  Grev.,  V.,  p.  51. 

1894.  Stemonitis  splendens  var.   confluens  Lister,  Mycet.,  p.   112. 

1899.  Stemonitis  confluens  Cke.  &  Ell.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.   114. 

1911.  Stemonitis  confluens  Cke.  &  Ellis,  List,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  147. 

"Sporangia  fasciculate,  confluent  on  a  persistent  hypothallus,  dark 
fuscous ;  peridia  very  fugacious ;  stipes  united  at  the  base,  erect,  fur- 
cate; spores  large,  brown,  globose.     On  oak  bark. 

"The  stems  are  branched  in  a  furcate  manner  and  confluent  at  the 
base,  forming  a  compact  tuft.  The  capillitium  is  membranaceous  at 
the  angles;  spores  very  large  compared  with  allied  species,  being  12  jn. 
The  specimens  were  too  fully  matured  for  more  satisfactory  de- 
scription." 


STEMONITIS  159 

Such  is  the  original  description  of  this  unique  and  interesting  spe- 
cies. The  sporangia  occur  in  close-set  tufts  or  clusters,  are  distinct, 
separate  at  their  tips  and  bases  only ;  perhaps  not  always  at  base.  The 
capillitium  rises  by  branching  from  the  columella,  rather  more  prolific 
than  usual,  and  combines  to  form  a  distinct  superficial  net  of  large 
even  meshes.  From  the  outer  arcs  of  the  bounding  net  spring  rather 
long  acute  processes  which  should  support  the  peridium.  This,  how- 
ever, is  altogether  rudimentary.  In  most  places  there  is  no  sign  of 
peridium  at  all,  but  here  and  there  between  contiguous  sporangia 
opposite  processes  unite  and  at  their  point  of  union  a  tiny  circular 
disk  of  the  peridial  membrane  appears.  At  intervals,  therefore,  over 
the  entire  sporangium  are  seen  these  small  brown  disks,  each  about 
equalling  in  diameter  the  size  of  the  average  mesh.  At  other  points 
the  sporangia  do  not  seem  at  all  coalescent,  but  where  the  opposing 
processes  do  meet  the  union  is  perfect  and  the  little  disk  seen  edge- 
wise looks  like  some  delicate  counter  strung  upon  a  wire. 

The  interest  attaching  to  this  in  view  of  what  has  been  said  about 
Amaurochaete  and  Brefeldia  is  obvious. 

Under  the  lens  the  spores  and  capillitium  are  concolorous,  dark 
fuscous,  the  spores  distinctly  verruculose,  about  12.5  /n. 

The  original  gathering  here  described  was  from  New  Jersey; 
twenty  years  later  Mr.  Ellis  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  again  fine 
specimens  all  on  oak  bark.  The  sporangia  are  quite  small,  only  3  mm. 
high,  when  blown  out  concolorous  with  the  habitat. 

2.     Stemonitis  trechispora  (Berk.)  Torr. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.   11,    11a,   11^,   U  c. 

1909.  Stemonitis  fusca  (Roth)  Rost.  var.  trechispora  (Berk.),  Fl.  Myxom., 
Torrend,  p.  141. 

1911.  Stemonitis  fusca  var.  trechispora  Torr.,  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed., 
p.  144. 

Fructification  in  form  of  aggregations  of  more  or  less  coalescent, 
small,  dark-brown  or  dull  black,  sessile  sporangia;  hypothallus  con- 
tinuous, well-developed ;  columella  black,  gently  tapering  to  a  point 
beneath  the  apex,  the  capillitial  branches,  irregular,  few,  but  passing 
into  an  open  rather  evenly-meshed  net,  the  mesh  several  times  the 


160  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

spore-diameter,  free-ending  branch-tips  not  lacking;  the  spores  by 
transmitted  light  distinctly  brown,  the  epispore  a  beautiful  reticula- 
tion, a  dozen  or  more  cells  to  the  hemisphere,  10-12  /n. 

This  is  entered  sometimes  as  a  variety  of  S.  fusca  to  which  species 
relationship  would  seem  remote.  The  differences  lie  in  form,  color 
and  structure.  The  spores  alone  are  distinctive ;  there  are  none  such, 
so  far,  none  just  like  them,  elsewhere  in  the  genus.  Torrend  and 
Lister  both  enter  the  form  as  varietal ;  why  not  set  it  out,  and  save 
questions?  The  habitat  approaches  that  of  Amaurochaete,  but  the 
sporangia  are  distinct. 

For  our  specimens  we  are  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Roland 
Thaxter.  The  specimens  were  taken  in  a  half-dry  marsh,  near 
Cambridge. 

Material  from  Toronto  sent  by  Professor  Faull  is  also  provision- 
ally here  referred.  The  form  has  netted  spores,  but  they  are  not 
quite  the  same.  The  structure  besides  is  more  that  of  an  amauro- 
chaete;  it  has  the  peculiar  basal  webs  and  band-like  stipes  at  base, 
stipes  that  never  rise  from  horizontal  to  perpendicular  and  character- 
ize Reticularia  and  especially  Brefeldia  as  well  as  the  usual  amauro- 
chaete.    See  Plate  XX.,  Figs.  9,  9n,  9b. 

3.     Stemonitis  fusca  (Roth)  Rost. 

Plate  VI.,  Figs.  ^,  ^a,  ^b 

1787.  Stemonitis  fusca  Roth,  Rom.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  26. 

1875.  Stemonitis  fusca  (Roth)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  193. 

1892.  Stemonitis  fusca  Rost.,  Massee,  Mon.,  p.  72. 

1895.  Stemonitis  fusca  Roth,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  110. 

1899.  Stemonitis  fusca   (Roth)   Rost.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  115. 

1899.  Stemonitis  maxima  Schw.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  116. 

Sporangia  tufted,  generally  in  small  clusters  6-8  mm.,  the  indi- 
vidual sporangia  slender,  cylindric,  blue-black  or  fuscous,  becoming 
pallid  as  the  spores  are  lost,  stipitate;  stipe  short,  about  one- fourth 
the  total  height,  black,  shining;  hypothallus  scanty,  but  common  to 
all  the  sporangia;  columella  prominent,  attaining  almost  the  apex  of 
the  sporangium,  freely  branching  to  support  the  capillitial  net;  capil- 
litium  of  slender  dusky  threads,  which  freely  anastomose  to  form  a 
dense  interior  network,  and  outwardly  at  length  combine  to  form  a 


ST  EM  ON  IT  IS  161 

close-meshed  net;  spores  pale,  dusky  violet,  usually  beautifully  spinu- 
lose-reticulate,  but  sometimes  warted  or  spir.ulose  only,  or  nearly 
smooth,  7-7.5  /x. 

As  here  set  out  the  description  is  intended  to  include  S.  maxima 
Schw.  of  the  former  edition.  Rostafinski,  Mon.  I.  c,  describes  S. 
fusca  Roth,  as  having  "spores  smooth."  Since  most  American  gath- 
erings have  reticulated  spores,  and  since  Schweinitz  described  a  black 
American  species,  his  specific  name  seemed  appropriate  for  all  except 
smooth-spored  forms. 

In  the  meantime  two  things  have  happened ;  Mr.  Lister  has  exam- 
ined the  specimens  remaining  in  the  Strasburg  herbarium  and  finds 
them  with  reticulate  spores.  The  statement  quoted  from  the  Mono- 
graph evidently  does  not  apply  to  all  of  Rostafinski's  material ;  but 
under  the  circumstances  the  name  fusca  may  easily  take  the  field, 
especially  since  another  discovery  makes  for  the  same  conclusion. 
The  evidence  is  good  that  S.  maxima  Schw.  was  indeed  the  largest, 
i.  e.  perhaps,  the  tallest  stemonitis  he  ever  saw!  probably,  as  his 
scanty  herbarium-remnant  shows,  S.  fenestrata  Rex! 

4.  Stemonitis  uvifera  n.  s. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  8,  8  a,  8  ^,  8  c. 

Sporangia  tufted,  generally  in  medium-sized  clusters  much  as  in 
S.  fusca.  The  individual  sporangium  7-9  mm.  high,  dark,  slender, 
brown,  becoming  dull  black  or  pallid  as  the  spores  are  lost,  stipitate, 
the  stipe  about  one-fourth  to  one-third  the  total  height,  black  pol- 
ished shining;  hypothallus  distinct,  common  to  all  sporangia,  purple- 
brown,  shining;  columella  distinct,  attaining  almost  the  summit  of 
the  sporangium  but  inclined  to  waver  a  little  at  last,  in  other  words, 
flexuose  toward  the  top,  freely  branching,  the  branches  rather  stout, 
anastomosing  to  support  the  capillitial  net ;  the  meshes  larger,  several 
times  the  spore-diameter,  the  spores  sooty-brown,  distinctly  warted  or 
spinulescent,  about  7-8  /u,  clustered  in  groups  of  four  or  more. 

Mt.  Rainier,  Washington, —  1914. 

5.  Stemonitis  dictyospora  Rost. 

1873.     Stemonitis  dictyospora  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  195;  Myc.  Fen.,  pp.   114,   122. 
1879.     Stemonitis  dictyospora  Rost.,   Mass.,  Mon.,  p.   83(?). 

12 


162  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

1888.     Stemonitis  dictyospora  Rost.,  Sacc.  Syl.  Fung.,  Vol,  VII.,   p.  397. 
1893.     Stemonitis   castillensis   Macbr.,   Nat.   Hist.   Bull.,   Vol.    11,    p.   381; 
Plate  X.,  Figs.  5,  5  a,  5  b. 

Sporangia  crowded  in  colonies  of  unusual  size,  4-8  cm.,  tall,  rigid 
18-25  mm.,  slender,  erect,  stipitate,  black  throughout;  the  columella 
prominent,  reaching  nearly  to  the  apex,  abundantly  branched,  the 
branches  forming  an  intricate  dark  brown  capillitium;  the  net  large- 
meshed  several  times  the  spore-diameter;  the  spores  reticulate,  spinu- 
lose,  clear  violet,  7-8  /i. 

We  here  recover  as  is  believed  one  of  Rostafinski's  best-described 
species.  Our  material  is  from  Nicaragua,  by  kindness  of  Professor 
Shimek.  Its  relationship  is  with  S.  fusca  where  Rostafinski  placed  it. 
The  phrase  describing  spore-color  is  his. 

6.     Stemonitis  nigrescens  Rex. 

1891.     Stemonitis  nigrescens,  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  392. 
1911.     Stemonitis  fusca  Roth,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  143. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  upon  a  common  hypothallus,  erect,  small, 
cylindric,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  extremely  short,  about  half  a  milli- 
metre; columella  reaching  the  apex;  capillitium  violet-black,  darker 
near  the  surface,  forming  a  complete  superficial  net  at  the  lower  part 
of  the  sporangium  only,  elsewhere  irregular  or  vanishing;  spore-mass 
nearly  black;  single  spores  violet-black  under  the  lens,  the  epispore 
spinulose  and  reticulate,  about  8  /a. 

The  author  of  this  species  remarks:  "This  species  is  noteworthy  for 
its  comparatively  short  stipes,  its  very  spinulose  spores,  and  its  black 
or  nearly  black  color,  the  slight  violet  tint  being  only  apparent  on 
close  inspection,  especially  in  fresh  moist  specimens." 

It  is  a  small  but  very  beautiful  form,  at  first  sight  to  be  mistaken 
for  a  short  S.  fusca,  though  much  more  intensely  black.  The  capil- 
litium is  concolorous,  the  inner  network  of  rather  few  open  meshes, 
the  outer  of  large  hexagonal  openings,  the  arcuate  threads  of  which 
are  remarkable  for  the  size,  and  especially  the  number,  of  the  peridial 
processes,  as  many  as  five  or  six  sometimes  appearing  along  one  side  of 
a  single  mesh.  The  stipe  is  very  short,  and  the  columella  runs  as  a 
straight,  gradually  diminishing  axis  to  the  very  apex  of  the  sporan- 
gium.   Total  height  3-5  mm. 


STEMONITIS  163 

The  English  Monograph  includes  this  with  S.  fusca;  but  it  seems 
quite  distinct  in  size,  habit,  color,  etc.,  and  has  been  found  in  the 
mountainous  regions  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  as  well  as 
about   Philadelphia, 

7.  Stemonitis  virginiensis  Rex. 

1891.  Stemonitis  virginiensis  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  391. 
1899.  Stemonitis  virginiensis  Rex,  Macbr.,  A^,  A.  S.,  p.  130. 
1911.     Comatricha  typlioides  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  158. 

Sporangia  erect,  gregarious,  from  a  common  hypothallus,  generally 
clustered,  cylindric  or  elongate-ovate,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  shining; 
columella  reaching  the  apex,  where  it  blends  with  the  capillitium; 
capillitium  delicate,  the  meshes  of  the  net  small,  scarcely  greater  than 
the  diameter  of  the  spores ;  spore-mass  umber  brown ;  epispores  reticu- 
lated, with  ten  or  twelve  meshes  to  the  hemisphere,  5-7  /x. 

This  is  a  beautiful,  and,  as  it  seems  to  us,  a  very  distinct,  species. 
The  markings  on  the  epispore  are  sufficient  to  identify  it.  These  are 
conspicuously  banded  somewhat  as  the  spores  of  Trichia  favo- 
ginea,  for  example.  In  habit,  size  of  the  sporangia,  and  capillitial 
branching,  this  species  recalls  Comatricha  typhoides  (Bull.)  Rost. 
All  the  sporangia  examined  are,  however,  plainly  stemonitis  in  type, 
possessing  the  characteristic  superficial  net. 

Until  further  light  this  may  stand  as  offered  in  the  first  edition. 
Miss  Lister  prefers  to  enter  it,  banded  spores  and  all,  with  the 
comatrichas,  on  account  of  color,  size  and  occasional  default  (?)  of 
surface  net. 

Virginia,  Dr.  Rex. 

8,  Stemonitis  webberi  Rex. 

Plate  XL,  Figs.  6,  7,  8. 
1891.     Stemonitis  ivebberi  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  390. 

Sporangia  clustered,  usually  in  small  tufts  1  cm.  wide,  rusty  brown 
in  color,  8-10  mm.,  including  the  stipe,  which  is  jet  black,  shining, 
and  much  expanded  at  the  base;  hypothallus  continuous,  well-devel- 
oped, a  thin,  transparent  pellicle;  columella  black,  tapering  upward, 
giving  off  at  intervals  the  capillitial  branches,  and  becoming  dissipated 


164  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

just  below  the  obtuse  apex;  inner  capillitial  network  very  open,  the 
branches  far  apart,  anastomosing  but  a  few  times  before  breaking  into 
the  surface  net  to  form  large,  irregular  meshes,  50-125  /u,;  spores 
minutely  roughened,  fuscous,  8-9  /n. 

These  three  forms,  8,  9,  10,  are  sometimes  entered  as  varieties  of  a 
single  species.  Dr.  Rex  himself  was  inclined  to  take  that  view. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  close  similarity;  it  is  a  question  of  clearness  in 
our  dealing  with  the  subject. 

All  three  forms  occur  abundantly  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  but 
are  generally,  —  always,  as  it  seems  to  the  writer,  —  distinguishable 
by  the  hand-lens.  If  we  take  No.  9  as  type,  10  has  an  eccentric  col- 
umella; 8  is  shorter,  about  1  cm.,  of  a  different  tint,  Dr.  Rex  even  says 
"spores  ferruginous  in  mass".  To  the  west  and  southwest,  the 
capillitium  becomes  coarser,  more  decidedly  brown.  In  short,  however 
similar  in  presentation  the  phases  may  sometimes  appear,  it  would 
seem  that  each  at  its  best  is  distinct  enough  for  immediate  recog- 
nition. 

West  of  the  Mississippi  River  chiefly:  Iowa,  South  Dakota,  Ne- 
braska, Kansas,  Oklahoma,  New  Mexico,  etc. 

9.     Stemonitis  splendens  Rost. 

Plate  VI.,  Figs.  6,  6  a,  6  c,  7,  7  a. 

1875.  Stemonitis  splendens  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  195. 

1880.  Stemonitis  morgani  Peck,  Bot.  Gaz.,  V.,  p.  33. 

1893.  Stemonitis  splendens  Rost.,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  II, 
p.  381. 

1894.  Stemonitis  splendens  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  112,  in  part. 
1899.     Stemonitis  morgani  Peck,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  118. 

1911.     Stemonitis  splendens  Rest.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  145. 

Sporangia  clustered  irregularly,  sometimes  forming  patches  6-10 
centimetres  or  more  in  extent,  rich  purple-brown  in  mass,  cylindric, 
long,  15-18  mm.,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  polished,  shining,  rising  from 
a  common  hypothallus,  which  extends  as  a  thin  silvery  film  beneath 
the  entire  colony,  but  does  not  usually  transcend  its  limits ;  columella 
black,  percurrent,  sparingly  branched ;  capillitium  of  fuscous  threads, 
within  forming  a  network  very  open,  the  branches  scarcely  anasto- 
mosing until  they  reach  the  surface  where  they  form  the  usual  net  of 


STEMONITIS  165 

small  meshes,  pretty  uniform  in  size,  and  presenting  very  few  small, 
inconspicuous  peridial  processes;  spores  brown,  very  minutely  warted, 
about  8  fjL. 

This  elegant  species  occurs  not  rarely  on  rotten  wood,  usually  in 
protected  situations,  although  sometimes  on  the  exposed  surfaces  of 
its  habitat.  The  sporangia  attain  with  us  unusual  height,  sometimes 
2  cm. ;  Plasmodia,  6-8  cm.,  in  diameter.  The  clear  brown  tufts  ap- 
pear in  the  autumn,  marvels  of  graceful  elegance  and  beauty ;  at  sight 
easily  recognizable  by  the  large  size  and  rich  color.  In  Iowa  it  is 
almost  universally  present  on  fallen  stems  of  Acer  saccharinum  Linn., 
and  it  appears  to  be  widely  distributed,  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  this  beautiful  series. 

New  England  to  Iowa,  South  Dakota,  Washington,  and  British 
Columbia.  Professor  Shimek  brings  a  dusky  phase  from  Nicaragua! 
—  the  type  ? 

The  Plasmodium  is  white  on  maple  stems,  more  creamy  on  stems  of 
linden,  on  which  wood  it  is  more  rarely  found :  occasionally  on  ash- 
stumps;  even  on  the  fallen  bark  of  trees  preferred. 

In  1875  in  his  famous  Monograph,  Rostafinski  set  out  three  species 
with  "dusky  violet  spores".    These  are  his  Nos.  94,  95  and  96. 

The  first  one  of  these  he  calls  S.  fusca,  "spore-mass,  etc.,  violet- 
black,  individual  spore  clear  violet,  smooth,  7-9  fi." 

The  second  species  he  writes  down  S.  dictyospora,  "hypothallus, 
stalk,  columella,  capillitium  and  spore-mass,  violet-black,  spore  netted 
and  fringed,  clear-violet,  7-9  /x." 

The  third  species  is  S.  splendens,  "hypothallus  stalk,  columella  and 
spore-mass  violet-black,  spore  smooth,  clear-violet,  7-8  /i." 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  color  down  to  color  of  the  spore  by 
transmitted  light,  the  three  species  are  exactly  the  same;  constitute  a 
suite,  so  to  say.  It  has  since  turned  out,  as  noted  under  our  No.  3, 
that  the  spores  of  S.  fusca  are  netted.  Error  in  description  here  is 
not  surprising ;  the  reticulations  are  sometimes  faint.  In  S.  dictyo- 
spora they  are  admittedly  strong,  and  the  inference  was  that  the 
'gladkie'  spores  of  the  third  species  might  be  netted  also.  This  is  no 
criticism:  lenses  were  fifty  years  since  not  nearly  so  good  for  such 
discoveries  as  the  oil-immersion  is  now. 


166  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

However ;  Rostafinski  made  his  specific  diagnosis  turn  largely  upon 
the  mesh-width  in  the  superficial  net.  This  comes  out  in  the  'opis' 
following  the  description,  and  upon  this  the  European  decision  in 
Rostafinski's  favor  as  against  S.  morgani  largely  turns.  Tropical 
gatherings  are  probably  always  darker,  and  evidently  from  such,  from 
the  north  coast  of  South  America,  the  original  description  was  drawn. 
Specimens  before  us  from  the  same  latitude  are  dusky  indeed ;  no 
clear  brown  at  all,  but  purplish  withal. 

For  the  sake  of  harmony  we  may  therefore  now  substitute  the 
earlier  name  "with  reservations" !  but  our  description  remains  as  be- 
fore, presenting  the  really  splendid,  shining  things  that  adorn  our 
northern  fields.  Dr.  Rostafinski  called  the  large  open  meshes  of  the 
net  'oka  J  eyes;  lumina  let  us  say!  quite  uniform  they  are  in  9  and  10, 
much  less  so  in  8. 

10.     Stemonitis  fenestrata  Rex. 

1890.     Stemonitis  splendens  R.  /.  fenestrata  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  36. 

Sporangia  aggregated,  in  tufts  2  cm.  or  more  in  diameter,  rich 
purple  brown,  on  a  common  hypothallus,  more  or  less  erect,  stipitate, 
tall,  about  2  cm.,  slender,  triangular  in  section;  stipe  black,  about 
one-third  the  total  height,  passing  into  a  slender  columella  which  is 
lateral  in  position,  not  central,  but  little  branched,  continued  almost 
to  the  apex ;  the  capillitium  consisting  almost  entirely  of  the  peripheral 
net,  which  presents  meshes  of  unusual  uniformity  of  size  and  shape ; 
spores  in  mass  brown,  colorless  by  transmitted  light,  nearly  smooth, 
6-7.5  II. 

The  remarkable  shape  of  the  sporangium  and  the  peculiar  regu- 
larity of  the  surface  net,  the  lateral  columella,  all  combine  here  to 
warrant  the  erection  of  a  distinct  species.  Dr.  Rex  referred  this  to 
S.  bduerlinii  Mass.  At  that  time  he  had  not  the  author's  description, 
and  had  seen  only  a  very  poor  fragment  received  with  notes  in  a 
letter.  Mr.  Massee's  description  makes  it  immediately  evident  that 
whatever  other  affiliations  S.  bauerlinii  may  have,  by  description  it 
has  at  least  none  with  S.  fenestrata  nor  with  our  northern  form  of 
S.  splendens.  Massee's  species  is  described  as  having  the  "mass  of 
spores  black",  the  capillitium  with  "branches  springing  from  the  col- 


STEMONITIS  167 

umella;  the  main  branches  more  and  more  numerous,  thicker  and  ir- 
regular towards  the  apex  of  the  sporangium,  and  often  form  irregular 
flattened  expansions" :  —  etc.  This  suggests  some  form  of  S.  dictyo- 
spora  Rost. :  see  under  our  No.  5.  Possibly  for  such  reasons  Lister 
referred  it  to  5.  splendens  Rost.,  which  as  we  have  just  seen,  was  un- 
doubtedly regarded  by  the  author  as  a  form  of  the  fuscous  group. 

The  long,  slender,  simple  columella  is  not  only  lateral,  but  occupies 
indeed  the  sharp  vertical  angle  of  the  triangular,  prismatic  sporan- 
gium. Furthermore,  the  sporangium  is  at  maturity  strangely  twisted, 
so  that  the  columella  in  its  ascent  accomplishes  one  or  more  spiral 
turns.  In  forms  collected  by  Dr.  Rex,  which  seemed  to  him  most 
nearly  to  agree  with  Massee's  species,  the  inner  capillitium  is  some- 
what abundant,  but  the  character  of  the  columella  just  the  same. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Kansas,  Colorado,  Iowa;  India! 

11.     Stemonitis  smithii  Macbr. 

1893.  Stemonitis  smithii  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la.,  II.,  p.  381. 

1894.  Stemonitis  microspora  List.,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  54. 

1911.     Stemonitis  ferruginea  var.  smithii  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  150. 

Sporangia  in  small  clusters,  close-packed  and  erect,  not  spreading, 
bright  ferruginous  prior  to  spore  dispersal,  cylindric,  stipitate,  of 
varying  height;  stipe  jet-black,  shining,  about  one-third  the  total 
height ;  hypothallus  generally  well  developed ;  columella  black,  gradu- 
ally tapering,  at  length  dissolving  in  capillitial  threads  and  net  some 
distance  below  the  diminished  plumose  apex ;  capillitium  of  fuscous 
threads,  the  inner  network  of  abundant,  sparingly  united  branches 
uniformly  thickened,  the  surface  net  very  delicate,  composed  of  small, 
regular,  polygonal  meshes,  the  peridial  processes  few;  spore-mass 
bright  ferruginous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  almost  colorless, 
smooth,  4-5  /A. 

The  species  as  thus  constituted  includes  forms  varying  in  size  from 
2.5-3  mm.  only.  The  common  form  heretofore  known  everywhere 
in  America  as  S.  ferruginea  is  from  10-15  mm.  high.  The  type  to 
which  the  specific  name  S.  smithij.  was  originally  applied  is  2.5  mm. 
high  and  rejoices  in  smooth,  almost  colorless  spores,  4-5  {x. 

The  Plasmodium  in  the  case  of  the  species  now  considered  is  as 


168  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

concerns  the  type,  of  course,  unknown.  In  one  or  two  gatherings 
referred  here  the  color  of  the  Plasmodium  was  noted  greenish-yellow. 
This  has  the  look  of  S.  flavogenita;  but  small  spores  and  delicate 
make-up  take  it  the  other  way.  Miss  Lister  makes  it  varietal  to  No. 
12,  next  following. 

12.     Stemonitis  axifera  (Bull.)  Macbr. 
Plate  VI.,  5,  5  a,  and  5  b. 

1791.     Trichia  axifera  ferruginea  Bull.,  Champ,  de  la  Fr.,  p.  118,  tab.  477. 
1818.     Stemonitis  ferruginea  Ehr.,  Syl.  Myc.  Berol.,  p.  20;   et  auct.  Europ. 
ex  parte;  Americ,  non. 

1894.  Stemonitis  ferruginea  Ehr.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  115,  in  part. 
1899.  Stemonitis  axifera  (Bull.)  Macbr.,  A''.  A.  S.,  p.  120,  in  part. 
1911.     Stemonitis  ferruginea  Ehr.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed. 

Sporangia  terete,  acuminate,  fasciculate  small  in  dense  clusters, 
distinctly  ferruginous  in  color,  stipitate,  from  10-15  mm.  in  height; 
the  stipe  black  one-third  to  one-half  the  total  height,  not  shining  or 
polished ;  columella  evenly  branching,  dissipated  before  reaching  the 
acuminate  apex;  capillitium-branches  clear  brown  anastomosing  and 
dividing  more  or  less  to  bear  the  superficial  fine-meshed  net;  spores 
pallid,  faintly  ferruginous,  smooth  or  nearly  so,  5—6  /x. 

This  would  seem  to  be  the  common  ferruginous  species  of  the 
world.  Doubtless  Micheli  had  the  thing  before  him  when  he  drew 
Tab.  94,  clathroidastrum,  Hofifman  and  Jacquin  seem  to  have  recog- 
nized the  form.  To  be  sure,  under  the  present  plasmodic  limitations 
we  cannot  be  quite  certain  about  these  references.  Not  until  1791 
does  anyone  write  down  a  particular  species  as  marked  by  a  white 
Plasmodium,  and  distinguish  it  from  other  similar  fructifications  hav- 
ing similar  origin.  Bulliard,  /.  c,  does  this,  discriminating  between 
T.  axifera  ferruginea  and  C.  typhoides;  see  under  the  last-named 
species.  Youthful  Ehrenberg,  in  his  doctor's  thesis,  nearly  thirty 
years  later,  draws  a  similar  parallel  but  ignores  the  great  French 
author,  writing  S.  ferruginea  Ehr.  as  though  the  thing  had  never 
been  seen  before!  By  this  name  it  has  been  called  until  very  lately; 
Fries  accepting  it,  but  noting  that  the  Plasmodium,  for  him  at  least, 
was  yellow! 

In  1904  Dr.  E.  Jahn,  following  Fries'  suggestion,  established  the 
fact  that  Ehrenberg's  white-plasmodic  species  had  small  spores,  that 


STEMONITIS  169 

Fries  had  in  mind  a  form  with  larger  spores,  having  indeed  yellow 
Plasmodium;  but  see  number  13  below. 

It  is  for  the  present  assumed  that  the  Plasmodium  of  our  American 
S.  axifera  is  white.  So  far,  there  are  few  or  no  observations  which 
establish  the  fact.  The  color,  the  small  smooth  spores,  the  fine- 
meshed  capillitial  net  and  the  general  dimensions  determine  the 
reference. 

13.  Stemonitis  flavogenita  Jahn. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  10,   10  a,  10  b. 

1829.  Stemonitis  ferruginea  Ehr.,  Fries,  Myc.  III.,  p.  158,  Syn.  excl. 

1899.  Stemonitis  axifera  (Bull.)   Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  120,  in  part. 

1904.  Stemonitis  flavogenita  Jahn,  Abh.  Bot.  Ver.  Brandenb.,  XLV,  p.  265. 

1911.  Stemonitis  flavogenita  Jahn,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  149. 

Sporangia  cylindric,  obtuse,  closely  fasciculate,  "cinnamon  brown," 
stipitate,  5-7  /x;  stipe  short,  black,  columella  ceasing  abruptly  below 
the  apex;  capillitium  a  loose  net-work  with  many  broad  expansions; 
the  peridial  net  very  delicate,  the  meshes  small  but  uneven,  6-15  /i,, 
with  many  projecting  points;  spores  pale  ferruginous,  verruculose, 
7-9 /x. 

This  is  S.  ferruginea  Ehr.  of  Fries  with  its  Plasmodium  yellow. 
Fries  says  "flavicat,"  becomes  yellow,  if  one  may  follow  the  analogy 
of  corresponding  Latin  verbs  of  color,  so  that  the  record  of  color- 
changes  in  the  present  species  is  yet  to  be  recorded. 

Until  further  experience  may  advise  to  the  contrary,  we  may  as- 
sume that  all  stemonites  cinnamon-brown  in  color,  with  widened 
columella-tip,  and  pale  yellowish  spores  7-9  fi.  in  diameter,  have  at 
some  time  in  their  history  a  yellow  Plasmodium,  and  accordingly 
represent  in  America  the  new-found  species. 

The  larger  spores,  and,  the  strange  proliferate  development  of  the 
columella-tip,  to  which  Miss  Lister  has  happily  called  attention, 
constitute  the  essential  diagnostic  features  here. 

Our  only  specimens  so  far  are  from  Oregon. 

14.  Stemonitis  pallida  JVingate. 

Plate  XIII.,  Fig.  3 

1897.     Stemonitis  pallida  Wing.,  A^.  A.  F.,  Ell.  and  Ev.,  No.  3498. 

1899.     Stemonitis  pallida  Wing.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  123. 

1911.     Stemonitis  pallida  Wing.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  149. 


170  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  gregarious,  or  somewhat  clustered,  erect,  cylindric  ob- 
tuse, short,  blackish  brown,  rubescent,  becoming  pallid,  stipitate; 
stipe  short,  black,  polished,  rising  from  a  thin,  brown,  or  iridescent 
hypothallus ;  columella  percurrent,  ceasing  abruptly  at  the  apex; 
capillitium  filling  the  interior  with  abundant  branches  which  form 
at  the  surface  a  close-meshed  net,  little  developed  above,  making  the 
apex  very  blunt;  spores  in  mass,  dark  brown,  by  transmitted  light 
dusky,  nearly  smooth,  7.5  fi. 

This  species  is  well  recognized  at  sight,  among  the  fuscous  forms, 
by  its  scattered,  erect  habit.  In  color  it  is  not  unlike  S.  fusca,  but  has 
an  added  reddish  tinge.  In  form  it  is  peculiar  by  virtue  of  the  blunt 
rounded  apex  which  seems  to  be  a  constant  character.  The  spores 
under  moderate  lens  are  perfectly  smooth,  under  the  1-12  they  present 
very  delicate  low  scattered  papillae. 

Rare;  eastern  part  of  United  States. 

15.     Stemonitis  carolinensis  Macbr. 

Plate   XIII.,    Fig.    5. 

1894.     Stemonitis  tenerrima  Berk.  &  C,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  53. 
1899.     Stemonitis  carolinensis  Macbr.,  nom.  nov.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  152. 
1911.     Stemonitis  pallida  Wing.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  149. 

Sporangia  tufted  in  scattered  clusters,  small,  slender,  cylindric  but 
tapering  from  the  apex,  at  first  ferruginous  then  ashen  or  purplish, 
stipitate;  the  stipe  short,  black  and  shining,  one-fourth  the  total 
height  or  less,  even;  hypothallus  well  developed,  black  or  very  dark 
brown ;  columella  black,  gradually  diminishing,  at  length  dissipated 
some  distance  below  the  clavate  or  acuminate  apex  of  the  sporangium ; 
capillitium  dense,  the  inner  of  many,  scarcely  expanded,  pallid,  freely 
anastomosing  branches,  the  outer  a  net  of  very  small  meshes,  often 
less  than  the  spores,  3-15  /x,  peridial  processes  imperceptible;  spore- 
mass  pale  ferruginous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  violaceous 
brown,  smooth,  6-7  ii. 

Very  closely  related  to  the  preceding,  but  recognizable  by  its  pro- 
portionately much  more  slender,  taller,  acuminate  sporangia,  paler, 
and  denser  capillitium  and  the  remarkably  close-meshed  net. 

Not  uncommon  south :  Kentucky,  Alabama. 


STEMONITIS  171 

16.      StEMONITIS    HERBATICA   Pk. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  14,  14  a,  14  b 

1874.    Stetnonitis  herbatica  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXVI.,  p.  75. 
1899.     Stemonitis  axifera  (Bull.)   Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  120,  in  part. 
1911.     Stemonitis  herbatica  Pk.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  148. 

Sporangia  clustered,  in  scattered  tufts,  cylindric,  obtuse,  pallid  fer- 
ruginous, stipitate  or  sometimes  nearly  sessile;  stipe  fuscous  or  jet- 
black,  only  slightly  expanded  below,  much  shorter  than  the  columella ; 
hypothallus  scanty  or  none;  columella  lessening  upward,  sometimes 
attaining  the  apex  of  the  sporangium,  sometimes  dissolved  in  capillitial 
threads  some  distance  below ;  capillitium  of  rich  brown  threads  form- 
ing the  usual  inner  network  of  medium  density,  with  many  wide  ex- 
panded nodes,  the  surface  net  made  up  of  delicate,  almost  colorless 
threads  surrounding  small  polygonal  meshes;  spore-mass  ferruginous, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  very  pale,  brownish,  minutely  warted^ 
7-9/.. 

The  Plasmodium  of  this  species  is  variously  cited  from  white  to 
yellow.  Probably  each  report  is  true,  dependent  on  the  relative  time 
of  the  observation. 

The  low  tufts  of  brown  sporangia  with  short  black  stipes,  borne 
often  as  Dr.  Peck  found  them,  assembled  on  living  leaves,  distinguish 
this  little  species.  In  the  former  edition  this  form  was  tentatively 
enrolled  under  S.  axifera  (Bull.)  ;  but  see  further  under  that  species. 

Probably  widely  distributed,  but  confused  with  short  forms  of 
other  species;  sometimes  also  on  rotten  wood  or  other  substratum;  so 
reported. 

New  York  to  Iowa;  Washington  and  Oregon.  Reported  also 
from  Europe. 

3.      Comatrlcha   (Preuss)  Post. 

1851.     Comatricha  Preuss,  Linnaca,  XXIV.,  p.   140. 
1873.     Comatricha  Rostafinski,  Versuch,  p.  7. 

Sporangia  cylindric  or  globose,  stipitate;  stipe  prolonged  upward 
to  form  a  more  or  less  extended  and  tapering  columella  bearing 
branches  on  every  side,  which  by  repeated  divisions  and  reunions  form 
the  capillitium;  ultimate  branch-tips  free,  not  supporting  a  surface 


172  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

net  parallel  to  the  peridial  wall ;  peridium  evanescent,  perhaps  some- 
times not  developed  at  all. 

The  genus  Comatricha  was  set  off  from  Stemonitis  by  the  joint 
effort  of  Preuss  (1851)  and  Rostafinski  (1873-5).  Preuss  included 
in  his  genus,  Comatricha,  alien  forms,  and  besides  failed  to  give  an 
accurate  definition ;  included,  however,  in  his  list  some  species  which 
have  since  been  known  by  his  generic  name. 

The  distinction  between  the  two  genera  is  almost  an  artificial  one, 
and  species  are  sometimes  arbitrarily  assigned  to  one  genus  or  the 
other.  The  diagnosis  in  any  case  turns  upon  the  presence  or  absence 
of  a  surface  net,  formed,  in  Stemonitis,  by  the  anastomosing  of  the 
ultimate  divisions  of  the  capillitial  branches.  In  Comatricha  the 
anastomosing  is  general,  from  the  columella  out,  and  is  not  specialized 
at  the  surface. 

Recent  attempts  to  reunite  the  genera  here  compared  seem  to  result 
in  no  apparent  advantage.  The  genera  come  very  near  together,  but 
their  separation  along  the  line  suggested  by  Rostafinski  remains  con- 
venient. 

Key  to  the  Species   of  Comatricha 

A.  Sporangia  closely  clustered. 

a.  Obovate  or  short  cylindric, 

1.  Spores    verruculose       ....  \.     C.    caespitosa 

2.  Spores   reticulate 2.    C.   cylindrica 

b.  Elongate,   reddish-brown,  tufts  extended       .  .         3.    C  flaccida 

B.  Sporangia  scattered  more  or  less  widely. 

a.     Capillitium  lax,  open. 

i.     Sporangia    long,    10—12    mm.       .         .         .         4.    C.    longa 
ii.     Sporangia   shorter,    capillitium   irregular     5.    C.   irregularis 
b.     Capillitium  dense. 

i.     Sporangia  large,  to  10  mm.,  spore-mass  black 

7.   C.  suksdorfii 
ii.     Sporangia  smaller — 6  mm. 

*  Spore-mass   brown,   spherical,   conoidal,   etc.,   generally 
with  more  or  less  lengthened  stipe    .       8.    C.  nigra 
**  Spore-mass  violaceous  or   purplish         9.     C.  aequalis 
iii.     Sporangia  ovate  or  cylindric,  minute,  to  3.5  mm. 
*  Cylindric,   spore   with   few,  scattered  warts 

10.     C.  typhoides 
**  Smaller,   capillitium    irregular,    loose         6.      C.    laxa 
***  Total  height  to  2  mm.  or  much  less. 

t  Columella   digitately   divided 

11.    C.   elegans 


COMATRICHA  173 

tt  Columella  lamprodermoid,  and  on  leaves 
12.   C.  rubens 
ttt  Columella  stemonitoid 

13.  C.  pulchella 
tttt  Columella  furcate  at  tip       14.    C.  ellisii 
ttttt  Columella  almost  percurrent. 

IS.    C.  subcaespitosa 

1.  COMATRICHA    C/«SPITOSA   Sturgis. 

Plate   XL,    Figs.    12,    13,    14. 

1893.  Comatricha  caespitosa  Sturg.,  Bot.   Gaz.,  XVIII.,  p.   186. 

1894.  Diachaea  thomasii  Rex,  var..  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  92. 
1899.  Comatricha  caespitosa  Sturg.,  Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.   124. 
1911.  Diachaea  caespitosa  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  121. 

Sporangia  densely  crowded  or  cespitose,  sub-sessile  or  short  stipi- 
tate,  clavate,  1—1.5  mm.  high,  the  peridium  gray,  iridescent  with  blue 
tints,  comparatively  permanent  but  finally  disappearing;  columella 
attaining  two-thirds  to  three-fourths  the  height  of  the  sporangium, 
giving  rise  throughout  its  length  to  the  dense  blackish  capillitium; 
hypothallus  delicate,  inconspicuous;  capillitium,  the  main  branches 
thick  at  the  point  of  origin,  frequently  anastomosing,  and  becoming 
gradually  thinner  toward  the  surface  of  the  sporangium,  the  tips 
pointed,  free,  forming  the  network;  spores  blackish-violet  in  mass,  by 
transmitted  light  pale  brownish-violet,  rough,  9.5-13  /x. 

A  very  distinct  and  curious  species.  The  sporangia  are  densely 
crowded,  though  by  the  nature  of  habitat  somewhat  tufted.  The 
shape  of  the  individual  sporangium  is  quite  uniformly  clavate  or  ob- 
ovate,  decidedly  truncate  above.  The  spores  are  uniformly  verrucu- 
lose  and  plainly  unequal. 

This  species,  as  indicated,  was  by  its  author  described  as  a  coma- 
tricha. To  transfer  it  to  another  genus  seems  idle,  especially  when 
long  established  generic  boundaries  must  be  seriously  disturbed  ex- 
pressly to  admit  the  new  arrival. 

New  England,  North  Carolina,  on  moss  and  lichens.  —  Dr. 
Sturgis. 

2.  Comatricha  cylindrica  (Bilgram)  Macbr. 

1905.     Diachaea  cylindrica  Bilgram,  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.  Philad.,  524. 
1911.     Diachaea  cylindrica  Bilgram,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.   121. 

Sporangia  cylindrical  with  obtuse  apex,  sessile,  gregarious,  irides- 


174  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

cent,  steel-gray  or  bronze,  1  to  1.7  mm.  high,  .5  to  .65  mm.  thick; 
hypothallus  whitish,  rugose;  sporangium-wall  membranous,  hyaline, 
not  adhering  to  the  capillitium ;  columella  arising  from  the  hypothal- 
lus and  extending  nearly  to  the  apex,  brown,  very  light  and  semi- 
translucent  near  the  base,  irregular,  flexuous,  limeless  throughout; 
capillitium  brown,  radiating  from  the  columella  to  the  periphery,  re- 
peatedly branching  and  anastomosing;  spores  warted,  the  warts  con- 
nected by  ridges  forming  a  more  or  less  perfect,  coarse  reticulation, 
violaceous,  pale,  10-12  fi. 

This  is  a  very  interesting  species  closely  related  to  the  preceding 
from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  the  reticulation  and  generally  more 
uniform  character  of  the  spores.  The  author  hesitated  about  the 
generic  reference,  finally  referring  it  to  Diachaea  despite  the  lack  of 
calcium,  because  it  was  sessile  and  had  a  peridium  rather  more  per- 
sistent than  is  usual  in  comatrichas.  But  the  presence  of  lime  in  stipe 
and  columella  is  an  essential  element  in  the  diagnosis  of  Diachaea, 
while  length  of  stem  is  everywhere  variable  in  stipitate  forms  of  every 
genus,  and  the  persistence  of  the  peridium  is  also  an  uncertain  factor ; 
hangs  on  long  in  C.  typhoides,  e.  g. 

On  dead  twigs,  etc. — Philadelphia, — Mr.  Btlgram;  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

3.      COMATRICHA   FLACCIDA  List. 

1894.  Comatricha  flaccida  List,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  51. 

1894.  Stemonitis  splendens,  var.  flaccida  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  112. 

1894.  Comatricha  flaccida   (List.)    Morg.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.   133. 

1911.  Stemonitis  splendens,  var.  flaccida  List,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  146. 

Sporangia  semi-erect,  close  crowded  in  tufts  t\vo  inches  in  diam- 
eter, ferruginous,  from  a  dark  brown  hypothallus,  sessile  or  short 
stipitate;  columella  weak,  crooked,  percurrent,  generally  enlarged  ir- 
regularly at  the  apex ;  capillitium  of  few,  slender,  brown  branches 
which  anastomose  sparsely  and  irregularly  as  in  C.  irregularis,  and 
present  when  freed  from  spores  the  same  chenille-like  appearance ; 
spore-mass  ferruginous  brown;  spores  by  transmitted  light  bright 
reddish  brown,  minutely  warted,  8-10  ju,. 

"Growing  on  old  wood  and  bark  of  Oak,  Willow,  etc.    The  com- 


COMA  T  RICH  A  175 

ponent  sporangia  5-10  mm.  in  length.  The  early  appearance  is 
much  like  that  of  a  species  of  Stemonitis,  but  the  mature  stage  is  a 
great  mass  of  spores  with  scanty  capillitium,  as  in  Reticularia;  the 
columellas,  however,  are  genuine  and  not  adjacent  portions  of  wall 
grown  together." — Professor  Morgan. 

Professor  Morgan's  herbarium  material  is  at  hand  for  study.  It 
meets  his  description,  needless  to  say,  very  generally.  In  what  re- 
mains of  the  type  the  membranous  connections  are  obscure ;  in  fact  the 
relation  of  such  peridial  (  ?)  fragments  to  the  capillitium  in  any  way, 
is  no  longer  evident.  But  in  any  event  the  colony  does  not  impress 
one  as  something  prematurely  or  improperly  developed,  a  stemonitis 
gone  begging ; — nothing  of  that  kind ;  it  is  clearly  a  comatricha,  easily 
identifiable  with  no  trace  of  a  surface  net  but,  with  long  free  tips 
in  plenty. 

Misled  no  doubt,  by  the  peridial  fragments  referred  to,  Mr.  Lister 
in  Mycetozoa,  I.  c,  associated  this  with  S.  confluens  Cke.  &  Ell.,  but 
entered  it  as  a  variety  of  S.  splendens  Rost.,  just  the  same.  In  the 
second  edition  of  the  Monograph j  Ellis'  species  is  set  out,  but  Mor- 
gan's retains  the  old  position. 

In  light  of  present  knowledge,  the  relationship  suggested  would  be 
difficult  of  proof.  If  C.  flaccida  Morgan  be  related  to  the  splendens 
group  at  all,  it  must  be  with  the  form  known  as  S.  webberi  Rex., 
but  it  dififers  from  this  in  almost  every  particular.  It  has  no  net,  with 
meshes  uniform  or  diverse;  it  is  clear  brown  in  color,  with  a  tinge 
of  red,  beneath  the  lens ;  the  spores  are  smaller,  distinctly  warted  and 
with  the  reddish  tinge  of  the  capillitium;  and  in  short,  it  seems  to 
be  a  comatricha  and  not  a  stemonitis. 

Specimens  from  western  Washington  dififer  in  some  particulars 
but  are  apparently  the  same  thing. 

Ohio,  Kentucky,  Washington,  California;  not  common. 

4.     Comatricha  longa  Peck. 

Plate   VI.,   Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b. 
1890.     Comatricha  longa  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XLIII.,  p.  24. 

Sporangia  crowded  in  depressed  masses  or  tufts,  black,  long,  cylin- 
dric,  even,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  shining,  generally  very  short;  hypo- 


176  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

thallus  well  developed,  black ;  columella  black,  slender,  weak,  gener- 
ally dissipated  some  distance  below  the  apex;  capillitium  of  slender 
brown  or  dusky  threads  anastomosing  to  form  an  open  network  next 
the  columella,  but  extended  outwardly  in  form  of  long  free  slender 
branchlets,  now  and  then  dichotomously  forked ;  spore-mass  blue- 
black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  dark  brown,  globose,  spinulose, 
some  of  them  faintly  reticulate,  about  9  jx. 

A  very  remarkable  species.  Rare  in  the  west,  more  common,  as  it 
appears,  in  the  eastern  states.  The  sporangia  occur  in  tufts  about 
1  or  2  cm.  wide,  springing  generally  from  crevices  in  the  bark  of 
decaying  logs,  especially  willow  and  elm,  in  swampy  places.  The 
sporangia  are  remarkable  for  their  great  length.  Generally  about 
20-25  mm.,  specimens  occasionally  reach  50  mm.  1  The  capillitial 
branches  are  so  remote  that  the  spores  are  scarcely  retained  by  the 
capillitium  at  all.  Well  described  and  figured  by  the  author  of  the 
species.  Forty-third  Rep.  N.  Y.  State  Museum,  p.  24,  PI.  3. 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa. 

5.       COMATRICHA    IRREGULARIS    Rex. 
1891.     Comatricha  irregularis  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.   393. 

Sporangia  crowded  in  flocculent  tufts,  very  dark  brown  or  black, 
semi-erect  or  drooping,  4-5  mm.  in  height,  irregularly  cylindric, 
variable,  stipitate ;  stipe  black,  distinct,  often  one-half  the  total  height ; 
hypothallus  well  developed,  brown,  shining;  columella  central,  slen- 
der, flexuous,  reaching  the  apex,  where  it  blends,  by  branching,  with 
the  capillitium ;  capillitium  loose,  open,  composed  of  arcuate  threads 
which  radiate  from  the  columella,  and  are  joined  together,  forming  a 
central,  irregular  reticulation  of  large  meshes,  brown,  paler  toward 
the  surface,  where  the  free  ends  are  sometimes  colorless;  spore-mass 
black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  brown,  minutely  warted,  7-8  fi. 

Related,  no  doubt,  to  C.  longa,  but  differing  in  habit,  stature,  as  in 
texture  and  structure  of  the  capillitium.  In  C.  longa  the  inner  net  is 
extremely  simple,  —  a  row  or  two  of  meshes  at  most,  and  the  radi- 
ating branches  are  long  and  straight;  in  the  species  before  us  the 
inner  network  is  well  developed,  and  the  radiating  branches  propor- 
tionately shorter  and  abundantly  branching,  with  pale  or  white  free 
tips. 


COMATRICHA  177 

Generally,  though  not  always,  found  growing  in  the  crevices  of  the 
bark  on  fallen  logs  of  various  deciduous  trees.  September.  Not 
common. 

This  is  thought  to  be  C.  crypta  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  2351;  but  the 
description  under  that  number  does  not  make  clear  what  form 
Schweinitz  had  before  him,  the  present  species  or  C.  longa,  and  the 
herbarium  specimen  of  Schweinitz  is  "utterly  lost" ;  the  later  specific 
name  is  accordingly  adopted. 

New  England  west  to  the  Cascade  Mountains ;  south  to  Kansas 
and  Texas. 

6.       COMATRICHA   LAXA  Rostofinski. 

Plate  V.,  Figs.  5,  5  a. 

1875.     Comatricha  laxa  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  201. 

1877.     Lamproderma  ellisiana  Cooke,  Myx.  U.  S.,  p.  397. 

1891.     Comatricha  ellisiana   (Cooke)   Ell.  &  Ev.,  N.  A.  F.,  2696. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  sub-globose  or  short  cylindric,  and 
obtuse,  dusky  stipitate;  stipe  short,  black,  tapering  rapidly  upward 
from  an  expanded  base;  hypothallus  scant  or  none;  columella  erect, 
rigid,  sometimes  reaching  nearly  to  the  apex  of  the  sporangium,  some- 
times dichotomously  branched  a  little  below  the  summit,  before 
blending  into  the  common  capillitium;  capillitium  lax,  of  slender, 
horizontal  branches,  anastomosing  at  infrequent  intervals  and  ending 
in  short,  free  tips;  spores  pallid,  nearly  smooth,  7-9.5  fi. 

A  very  minute,  delicate  little  species,  about  1^  mm.  high;  the 
stipe  half  the  total  height.  In  general  appearance  the  shorter  forms 
of  the  species  resemble  slightly  C.  nigra,  but  are  distinguished  by  a 
much  shorter  stipe  and  much  more  open  capillitium.  The  sporangia 
of  C.  nigra  mounted  on  long  capillary  stipes  always  droops  more  or 
less;  the  sporangia  of  the  present  species  stand  rigidly  erect.  The 
sporangia  vary  in  form  and  in  the  branching  of  the  columella.  In 
the  more  globose  phases,  the  columella  almost  always  shows  a  peculiar 
dichotomy  near  the  apex;  in  the  cylindric  types,  this  peculiar  division 
fails.i  In  fact,  the  shape  is  determined  chiefly  by  the  mode  of  branch- 
ing as  aflFects  the  columella.    Rostafinski's  figure,  on  Tab.  XIII,  does 

^  See  Addenda,  d,  p.  282  following. 

13 


178  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

not  present  the  type  usually  seen  in  this  country,  nor  even  in  Europe 
if  we  may  judge  from  later  illustrations. 

The  species  with  us  has  received  various  names,  but  so  far  as  can 
be  determined,  all  apply  to  the  same  thing,  and  comparison  of  speci- 
mens from  Mr.  Ellis  with  those  from  Europe  show  the  correctness  of 
the  nomenclature  here  adopted. 

Rare,  but  widely  distributed ;  across  the  continent. 

7.  COMATRICHA   SUKSDORFII   Ell.    ^  Everh. 

Plate    XI.,    Figs.    9,    10,    11. 

1882.     Stemonitis  suksdorfii  Ell.  &  Everh.,  Bull.  Washb.  Coll.,  Vol.  I.,  p.  5. 
1892.     Stemonitis  suksdorfii  Ell.  &  Everh.,  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  76. 

Sporangia  scattered  in  small  tufts  or  gregarious,  cylindric,  obtuse 
at  both  ends,  sometimes  widened  above,  black,  2-6  mm.,  stipitate; 
stipe  jet-black,  shining,  even,  about  one-half  the  total  height;  hypo- 
thallus  not  continuous,  dark  brown ;  columella  black,  rather  slender, 
terminating  in  two  or  more  large  branches  just  below  the  apex;  capil- 
litium  exceedingly  dense,  dark  fuscous  or  black,  the  flexuous  threads 
anastomosing  in  a  close  network,  with  abundant  free  pallid  extremi- 
ties ;  spores  in  mass,  blue-black,  by  transmitted  light  fuscous  or  dark 
violaceous-brown,  minutely  warted,  10-12  /x. 

Easily  recognizable  at  sight  by  its  sooty  color.  Entirely  unlike  any 
of  the  preceding.  The  type  of  the  capillitium  is  that  of  C.  pulchella, 
but  it  is  very  much  more  dense  and  entirely  different  in  color.  The 
sporangia  are  often  widened  above,  and  fairly  truncate;  the  total 
height  about  6  mm.  Found  on  the  bark  of  fallen  twigs  of  Abies, 
Larix,  etc.  Distributed  by  Ell.  &  Everh.  under  this  name  as  an 
exsiccata.  The  evanescent  peridium  is  colorless ;  when  free,  white  or 
silvery. 

8.  COMATRICHA  NIGRA    (Pers.)  Schroeter. 

Plate  XI,  Figs.  1,  2,  3. 

1791.  Stemonitis  nigra  Pers.,   Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,  p.  1467. 

1801.  Stemonitis  ovata,  van  nigra  Pers.,  Syn.,  p.  189. 

1863.  Stemonitis  friesiana  DeBy.,  Rab.  Eur.  Fung.,  No.  568. 

1875.  Comatricha  friesiana    (DeBy.)    Rost.,  Man.,  p.  200. 


COMATRICHA  179 

1889.  Comatricha  nigra  (Pers.)  Schroeter,  Pilz.  Krypt.  Fl.  <v.  Schles.,  I., 
p.  118. 

1894.  Comatricha  obtusata  Fr,,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.   117. 

1899.  Comatricha  nigra  (Pers.)   Schroeter,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  128. 

Sporangia  scattered,  ferruginous  or  dark  brown,  globose  or  ovoid, 
stipitate;  stipe  long,  hair-like,  tapering  upward,  black;  hypothallus 
none;  columella  rapidly  diminished  toward  the  top,  at  length  dissi- 
pated ;  capillitium  of  slender  flexuous  threads,  radiating  horizontally, 
repeatedly  branching  and  anastomosing  to  form  an  intricate  dense 
network,  from  the  surface  of  which  project  a  few  short  hook-like 
peridial  processes;  spore-mass  black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  dark 
violaceous,  smooth  or  nearly  so,  7-10  /x. 

This  species,  when  typical,  is  easily  recognized  by  its  almost  globose 
sporangia  mounted  on  long  slender  stocks.  These  are  2  or  3  mm. 
high  and  generally  persist,  as  Persoon  noticed,  a  long  time  after  the 
sporangium  has  fallen.  The  sporangia  are  at  first  black;  after  spore 
disposal  pale  ferruginous.  In  shape  they  vary  from  ovate  to  spherical. 
Sometimes  they  are  umbilicate  below,  so  that  a  vertical  section  would 
be  obcordate.  Care  must  be  taken  to  distinguish  the  present  species 
from  blown-out  forms  of  Lamproderma. 

This  most  common  species  seems  to  be  also  the  center  of  widest 
differentiation.  In  a  valuable  paper  on  the  Myxomycetes  of  Dr. 
C.  H.  Peck's  Herbarium  Dr.  Sturgis  points  out  the  varying  relation- 
ships of  a  group  of  surrounding  forms.  According  to  account  C. 
nigra  verges  on  one  side  to  C.  laxa,  on  the  other  to  aequalis  which 
the  Listers  enter  as  varietal  here.  However,  in  the  former  the  more 
rigid,  direct  and  simple  branching  from  the  columella  is  usually  de- 
terminative; in  the  latter  the  color,  form,  and  generally  more  deli- 
cate structure,  and  a  tendency  to  grow  in  tufts  will  serve  to  dis- 
tinguish. 

In  this  discussion  we  have  assumed  as  typical  the  globose  sporan- 
gium, with  the  variations  in  the  direction  of  ovate,  obovate,  ellip- 
soidal, etc.,  the  capillitium  flexuous  and  more  richly  anastomosing 
near  the  columella.  On  the  drier  slopes  m  the  mountains  of  Colo- 
rado specimens  are  especially  abundant,  in  proper  season  covering 
apparently  the  lower  surface  of  every  barkless  twig  or  fallen  stem  or 
tree  entire!     In  such  a  field  one  might  imagine  every  possible  varia- 


180  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

tion  open  to  observation.  Probably  such  is  the  case;  but  as  a  matter 
of  fact  a  single  small  Plasmodium  at  lower  levels  will  sometimes  show 
greater  range  of  variation  than  were  noted  on  the  mountain-side. 
The  cylindric  forms  were  for  some  reason  few,  and  when  noted  were 
short,  though  often  surmounting  stems  of  double  the  usual  length. 

Rostafinski  calls  this  C.  friesiana,  a  name  suggested  by  De  Bary. 
By  this  name  the  species  was  commonly  known  for  many  years.  More 
recently  some  writers  prefer  C.  obtusata  Preuss ;  but  C.  obtusata 
Preuss,  as  figured  by  that  author  (Sturm's  Deutsch.  FL,  PI.  70),  is 
surely  more  likely  Enerthenema  papillata,  and  the  author  says  in  his 
description  "capillitio  vertice  soli  innato."  Persoon  certainly  recog- 
nized the  species,  and  his  description,  though  brief,  is  yet  applicable 
to  no  other  European  species.  There  seems  no  reason  why  the  name 
he  gave  should  not  be  permanently  adopted.  Rostafinski's  figure, 
Tab.  XIII.,  shows  an  ellipsoidal  sporangium,  not  cylindric. 

On  the  lower  levels  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  the  species  is  not 
common.     Possibly  overlooked  by  reason  of  its  minuteness. 

Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa,  Colorado,  North  Caro- 
lina, Missouri. 

9.      COMATRICHA  .^QUALIS  Peek. 
Plate  VI.,  Figs.  ^,  Z  a,  Z  b,  I  c,  ^  d\  and  Plate  XVIII.,  Figs.  13,  13  a,  13  b. 
1890.     Comatricha  equalis  Peck.,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXXI.,  p.  42. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  seldom  erect,  usually  inclined,  curved  or 
nodding,  dark  brown,  becoming  violet,  cylindric,  acuminate-obtuse, 
stipitate;  stipe  about  half  the  total  height,  2-2^  mm.,  black,  pol- 
ished, even;  hypothallus  well  developed,  brown,  continuous;  colu- 
mella black,  tapering  gradually,  and  attaining  almost  the  summit  of 
the  sporangium;  capillitium  dense,  of  flexuous  tawny  threads  which, 
by  repeated  branching,  form  an  intricate  network,  the  free  extremities 
numerous,  short,  and  pale ;  spores  dark  violaceous,  distinctly  warted, 
7.5-8  p.. 

A  very  graceful,  elegant  species,  related  to  C.  pulchella  and  C. 
persoonii,  but  distinct  by  its  much  greater  size  and  smaller  spores. 
The  specimens  before  show  us  the  perfection  of  beauty  in  this  genus; 


COMATRICHA  181 

the  polished  stipe,  the  symmetrical  capillitium,  the  soft  purple-brown 
tints,  are  remarkable,  and  enable  one  to  recognize  the  form  at  sight. 

Specimens  from  Oregon  are  unusually  fine;  larger  than  usual, 
reach  7  mm.  total  height,  and  when  blown  out  present  the  tints  of 
violet  in  unusual  clearness;  var.  C.  pacifica.  Plate  XVIII.,  Figs.  13, 
\Za,  and  \3b. 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Illinois ;  Oregon,  Professor  Peck. 

10.      COMATRICHA  TYPHOIDES    (Bull.)   Rost. 
Plate  VL,  Figs.  1,  1  a.  1  b. 

1772.  Mucor  stemonitis  ScopoH,  Ft.  Cam.,  II.,  pp.  493-494   (?). 

1774.  Mucor  stemonitis  Schaeffer,  Icones.  Tab.,  CCXCVII   (?). 

1780.  Stemonitis  typhina  Wiggers,  Prim.  Fl.  Hols.,  p.  116   (?). 

1791.  Tricliia  typboides  BuUiard,  Champ,  de  la  France,  p.  119,  t.  477,  II. 

1796.  Stemonitis  typhina  Persoon,  Myc.  Obs.,  I.,  p.  57,  in  part. 

1805.  Stemonitis  typhoides  (Bull.)   D.  C,  Fl.  Fr.,  p.  257. 

1829.  Stemonitis  typhoides  (Bull.)   Fr.,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  158. 

1873.  Comatricha  typhoides  (Bull.)   Rost.,  Vers.,  p.  7. 

1875.  Comatricha  typhina   (Pers.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  197. 

1895.  Comatricha  stemonitis   (Scop.)    Sheldon,  Minn.  Bot.  Stud.,  p.  473. 

1899.  Comatricha  stemonitis   (Scop.)    Sheld.,  Macbr.,  A''.  A.  S.,  p.  130. 

1911.  Comatricha  typhoides  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  157. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  cylindric,  erect,  sometimes  arcuate, 
obtuse,  2-3  mm.  high,  at  first  silvery,  then  brown,  as  the  peridium 
vanishes,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  about  one-half  the  total  height  or  less; 
hypothallus  distinct,  more  or  less  continuous,  reddish-brown ;  colu- 
mella tapering  upward,  black,  attaining  more  or  less  completely  the 
apex  of  the  sporangium;  capillitium,  arising  as  rather  stout  branches 
of  the  capillitium,  soon  taking  the  form  of  slender,  flexuous,  brownish 
threads,  which  by  repeated  anastomosing  form  at  length  a  close  net- 
work, almost  as  in  Stejnonitis,  the  free,  ultimate  branches  very  deli- 
cate and  short ;  spore-mass  dark  brown ;  spores  by  transmitted  light, 
pale,  almost  smooth,  except  for  the  presence  of  a  few  scattered  but 
very  prominent  umbo-like  warts,  of  which  four  or  five  may  be  seen 
at  one  time,  5-7.5  fx.. 

This  is  our  most  common  North  American  species.  It  occurs 
every\vhere  on  decaying  wood,  sometimes  in  remarkable  quantity, 
thousands  of  sporangia  at  a  time.    The  Plasmodium,  watery  white  in 


182  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

color,  infests  preferably  very  rotten  logs  of  Quercus,  on  which  in 
June  the  sporangia  rise  as  white  or  pallid  columns.  The  peridium  is 
exceedingly  delicate,  less  seldom  seen  here  than  in  some  other  species, 
but  likely  to  be  overlooked  entirely.  The  spores  when  fresh  have  a 
distinct  violet  or  bluish  tinge ;  in  old  specimens  they  are  almost  color- 
less. In  any  case  they  are  well  marked  by  the  large  papillae  already 
referred  to. 

C.  typhina,  var.  hetcrospora  Rex,  differs  from  the  type  in  several 
particulars:  the  sporangia  manifest  a  closer  habit;  the  capillitium  is 
made  up  of  more  slender  threads  and  forms  a  yet  denser  network; 
the  spores  between  the  large  papillae  are  marked  by  a  more  or  less 
perfectly  formed  reticulation. ^ 

As  to  nomenclature,  this  is  our  old  friend  C.  typhina  (Pers.)  Rost. 
It  should  be,  more  properly,  called  C.  typhina  Rost.,  for  it  is  not 
Persoon's  species  exactly.  But  Scopoli,  /.  c,  by  citing  Hall,  Gleditsch, 
and  Micheli,  so  describes  our  form  as  to  leave  small  doubt  that  he 
had  before  him  our  common  species.  Schaeffer's  figures  also  come  to 
the  rescue,  which,  though  by  no  means  satisfactory,  yet  can  probably 
refer  to  no  other  species.  However,  Bulliard  gives  the  first  good 
account  and  figure,  and  in  concord  with  the  decision  of  our  English 
colleagues,  the  name  afforded  by  the  famous  Champignons  is  here 
adopted. 

Widely  distributed.  Maine  to  California,  and  from  British  Amer- 
ica to  Nicaragua. 

11.     CoMATRiCHA   ELEGANS    (Racib.)   List. 

Plate  XVI.,  Fig.  12. 

1884.  Rostafinskia  elegans  Racib.,  Rozpr.  Akad.  Krak.,  XII.,  77. 

1888.  Raciborskia  elegans  Berl,  Sacc.  Syl.,  VII.,   p.  400. 

1894.  Raciborskia  elegans  Berl.,  List.,  Mycet.,  p.   133. 

1909.  Comatricha  elegans  List.,  Br.  Mus.  Guide  to  Mycet.,  p.  31. 

Sporangia  loosely  gregarious,  globose,  purplish-brown,  small,  1-1.5 
mm.  in  total  height,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  subulate,  to  1  mm.;  colu- 

1  In  the  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  158,  is  cited  Stemonitis  virginiensis  Rex  as  a 
synonym  of  this  variety.  By  reference  to  p.  163  of  the  present  volume  the 
Virginian  stemonitis  is  left  as  Rex  assigned  it,  and  if  the  present  variety  be 
synonymous,  it  should  be  quoted  there.  The  treatment  of  the  species  C.  nigra 
in  the  second  edition  does  not  establish  such  fact,  nor  with  three  varieties 
make  for  any  increasing  clearness. 


COMATRICHA  183 

mella  at  first  divided  into  a  few  main  branches,  from  which  by  re- 
peated subdivision  the  delicate,  anastomosing,  flexuose  capillitial 
threads  take  origin;  spores  pale  brownish-violaceous,  spinulescent, 
8-10  M- 

South  Carolina.     Colorado :  —  Dr.  Sturgis. 

12.  CoMATRiCHA  RUBENS  Lister. 
1894.     Comatricha  ruhcns  List.,  Mycet.,  p.  123. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globoid  or  ellipsoidal,  1-1.5  mm.,  pink- 
brown,  stipitate ;  peridium  persistent  below ;  stipe  .5-1  mm.,  black, 
shining;  columella  to  more  than  half  the  sporangium,  giving  off  on 
all  sides  the  brownish-violaceous,  flexuose  threads  of  the  capillitium, 
somewhat  thickened  and  broadly  attached  to  the  persisting  peridial 
cup;  spores  lilac-brown,  spinulescent,  7-8  fi. 

Another  border  species,  looking  to  the  lamprodermas.  Philadelphia, 
by  courtesy  Mr.  Bilgram. 

13.  Comatricha  pulchella  (Bab.)  Rost. 

Plate  XIII.,  Fig.  4,  and  Plate  XII.,  Figs.  16  and  16  a. 

1837.  Stemonitis  pulchella  Bab.,   Trans.  Lin.  Soc,  p.  32. 

1841.  Comatricha  pulchella  Bab.,  Berk.,  Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  I.  vi.,  p. 

431,  PI.  XXL,  11.  a.  b. 

1848.  Stemonitis  tenerrima  Curtis,  Am.  Jour.,  VI.,  p.  352. 

1873.  Stemonitis  tenerrima  Berk.  &  C,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  69. 

1876.  Comatricha  pulchella   (Bab.)   Rost.,  Mon.  App.,  p.  27. 

1875.  Comatricha  persoonii  Rost.,  Man.,  p.  201. 

1894.  Comatricha  persoonii  Rest.,  List.,  Mycet.,  p.  122. 

1899.  Comatricha  pulchella   (Bab.)   Rost.,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  129. 

1899.  Comatricha  persoonii  Rost.,  Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  132,  excl.  syn. 

1911.  Comatricha  pulchella  Rost.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  156. 

1911.  Comatricha  pulchella  var.  gracilis  Wing.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed., 
p.  156. 

Sporangia  very  minute,  1  mm.  high,  scattered,  ovate  or  ovate- 
cylindric  acuminate,  pale  brown  or  ferruginous,  stipitate;  stipe  short, 
black,  nearly  even;  hypothallus  none,  or  merely  a  circular  base  to 
the  tiny  stem;  columella  straight,  gradually  tapering,  reaching  almost 
if  not  quite  to  the  apex  of  the  sporangium;  capillitium  dense,  a  net- 
work of  flexuous  brown  threads,  rather  broad  within,  ending  in  slen- 


184  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

der  tips  without;  spore-mass  brown,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale 
"lilac  brown,"  or  pale  ferruginous,  minutely  but  uniformly  warted, 
6-8  /x. 

Probably  widely  distributed  but  rarely  collected.  Pennsylvania, 
Iowa;  Okoboji.     Toronto, —  Miss  Currie. 

14.      COMATRICHA   ELLISII,   IVIorg. 

Plate  XII.,  Figs.  15  and  15  a. 

1894.     Comatricha  ellisii  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  49. 

1899.     Comatricha  laxa  Rost.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  127. 

1911.     Comatricha  nigra  Schroet.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  152. 

Sporangia  short,  erect,  oval  or  ovoid  to  oblong.  Stipe  and  colu- 
mella erect,  brown  and  smooth,  rising  from  a  thin  pallid  hypothallus, 
tapering  upward  and  vanishing  into  the  capillitium  toward  the  apex 
of  the  sporangium,  the  stipe  usually  longer  than  the  columella. 
Capillitium  of  slender  pale  brown  threads ;  these  branch  several  times 
with  lateral  anastomosing  branchlets,  forming  a  rather  open  network 
of  small  meshes,  ending  with  very  short  free  extremities.  Spores 
globose,  even,  pale  ochraceous,  6-7  mic.  in  diameter. 

Growing  on  old  pine  wood.  Sporangium  .3-6  mm.  in  height  by 
.3-5  mm.  in  width,  the  stipe  usually  a  little  longer  than  the  spo- 
rangium. 

On  the  strength  of  the  clear  descriptions  and  beautiful  drawings  of 
Celakowsky,  Myxo?nyceten  Bohmens,  p.  52 ;  Taf.  2,  Figs.  7  and  8, 
this  elegant  little  species  as  described  by  my  colleague  Professor 
Morgan  was,  in  the  former  edition,  referred  to  C.  laxa  Rost.  It  was 
then  reported  from  New  Jersey  only.  Since  then  we  have  specimens 
from  Ohio  and  from  southern  Missouri,  all  true  to  form,  almost 
identical.  It  seems  wise  accordingly,  while  recognizing  the  relation- 
ship of  the  form  to  both  C.  laxa,  and  to  C.  nigra  as  well,  to  give  it 
here  an  individual  place  again.  It  is  very  small;  but  once  studied 
may  thereafter  be  easily  recognized  by  a  hand-lens.  The  form  is  def- 
inite, clean-cut,  and  the  spores  are  pronouncedly  smaller  than  in 
either  of  the  two  related  species. 


DIACHJEA  185 

15.      COMATRICHA   SUBCAESPITOSA   Peek. 

Plate  XII.,  Figs.  17,  17  a. 
1890.     Comatricha  subcaespitosa  Peck,  N.   Y.  Mus.  Rep.  43,   p.  25. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  sometimes  in  loose  clusters,  cylindric,  obtuse, 
about  1.5—2  mm.,  dark  brown,  stipitate;  stipe  short,  one-fifth  total 
height;  hypothallus  minute;  capillitium  regular,  the  branching  quite 
uniform  parallel,  flexuous,  brown  with  a  tinge  of  violet,  not  dense; 
columella  well-defined,  almost  percurrent ;  spores  brown  in  mass, 
under  lens  dusky,  nearly  smooth,  9-10  fi.  , 

The  larger  spores,  regular,  erect  form,  and  clustered  habit  separate 
this  form  from  others  with  which  it  will  be  naturally  associated.  See 
page  283  under  Addenda. 

4.     Diachsea  Fries 
1825.    Diachaea  Fries,  Syst.  Orb.  Veg.,  I.,  p.  143.^ 

Sporangia  distinct,  globose  or  cylindric,  the  peridium  thin,  irides- 
cent, stipitate;  the  stipe  and  columella  surcharged  with  lime,  white 
or  yellowish,  rigid,  thick,  tapering  upward ;  capillitium  of  delicate 
threads  free  from  lime,  radiating  from  various  points  on  the  colu- 
mella, branching  and  anastomosing  as  in  Comatricha  to  form  a  more 
or  less  intricate  network,  the  ultimate  branchlets  supporting  the 
peridial  wall. 

Rostafinski  placed  this  genus  near  the  Didymieae  on  account  of  the 
calcareous  columella  and  the  non-calcareous  capillitium.  On  the 
other  hand  the  structure  of  the  capillitium  and  the  iridescent  simple 
peridium  ally  Diachaea  to  Larnproderma  and  the  Stemoniteae;  the 
only  distinction  being  the  calcareous  stem.  It  is  simply  an  inter- 
mediate genus  to  be  placed  here  more  conveniently  than  anywhere 
else  in  what  is  of  necessity  a  linear  arrangement. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Diachaea 

A.     Stipe  and  columella  white. 

a.     Sporangium  cylindric \.     D.  leucopodia 

^  It  had  seemed  less  necessary  to  retain  the  classic  orthography  in  this  in- 
stance since  De  Bary  and  Rostafinski  both  use  Diachea.  But  modern  scholar- 
ship is  nothing  if  not  meticulous;  it  is  the  fashion  in  Latin  still  to  keep  the 
digraph,  even  to  the  vexation  of  all  men.  In  the  same  way  when  Bulliard 
wrote  leucopodia,  'white  stockings',  he  doubtless  meant  to  be  exact. 


186  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

b.     Sporangium  globose. 

i.     Evidently  stalked          ....  2.     D.  splendens 
ii.     Stalk  very  short,   5  mm.,  conic. 

*  Spores  warted         ....  3.     D.  bulbillosa 

**  Spores  faintly  netted      .         .         .  4.     Z).  subsessilis 

B.     Stipe  yellowish  or  orange 5.     D.  thomasii 

1.       DlACH^A   LEUCOPODIA    (BuU.)   Rost. 

1791.     Trichia  leucopodta  Bull.,  Champ,  de  la  France,  PI.  502,  Fig.  2. 
1825.     Diachaea  elcgans  Fries,  Syst.  Orb.  Veg.,  I.,  p.  143. 
1875.     Diachaea  leucopoda  (Bull.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  190. 

Sporangia  rather  closely  gregarious,  metallic  blue  or  purple  irides- 
cent, cylindric  or  ellipsoidal,  obtuse,  sub-umbilicate  below,  stipitate; 
stipe  short,  much  less  than  one-half  the  total  height,  snow-white, 
tapering  upward ;  hypothallus  white,  venulose,  occurring  from  stipe  to 
stipe  to  form  an  open  network  over  the  substratum;  columella  thick, 
cylindric,  tapering,  blunt,  terminating  below  the  apex,  white;  capil- 
litium  springing  from  every  part  of  the  columella,  of  slender  threads, 
brown,  flexuous,  branching  and  anastomosing  to  form  an  intricate 
net ;  spores  in  mass  nearly  black,  by  transmitted  light  dull  violaceous, 
minutely  roughened,  7-9  ^. 

A  very  beautiful  species ;  not  uncommon  in  the  eastern  states ;  rare 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Easily  recognized,  amid  related  forms,  by 
its  snow-white  stem,  a  feature  which  did  not  escape  the  notice  of 
Bulliard  and  suggested  the  accepted  specific  name.  Fries  adopted  the 
specific  name  proposed  by  Trentepohl  and  wrote  D.  elegans,  simply 
because  to  him  the  peridium  was  "admodum  elegans." 

The  peridium  is  exceedingly  thin  and  early  deciduous;  the  stipe 
long  persistent.  The  plasmodium,  dull  white,  was  observed  by  Fries 
at  the  beginning  of  the  century;  "morphoseos  clavem  inter  myxo- 
gastres  hoc  genus  primum  mihi  subministravit." 

This  species,  as  the  diachaeas  generally,  affects  fallen  sticks  and 
leaves  in  orchards  and  forests  and  even  spreads  boldly  over  the  foliage 
and  stems  of  living  plants. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia, 
South  Carolina,  Ohio,  Iowa,  California,  Canada. 


DIACII/EA  187 

2.  DlACHy^A   SPLENDENS   Peck. 

Plate  VII.,  Figs.  1,  \  a,  lb,  If. 
1877.     Diachaea  splendens  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  XXX.,  p.  50. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  metallic  blue  with  brilliant  iridescence, 
globose,  stipitate ;  stipe  white,  short,  tapering  upward ;  hypothallus 
white,  venulose,  a  network  supporting  the  snowy  stipes;  columella 
white,  cylindric,  passing  the  centre,  obtuse;  capillitium  lax,  of  slender, 
anastomosing,  brown,  translucent  threads ;  spores  in  mass  black,  by 
transmitted  light  dark-violaceous,  very  coarsely  warted,  7-10  fi. 

This  is  perhaps  the  most  showy  species  of  the  list.  The  globose 
brilliantly  iridescent  sporangia  are  lifted  above  the  substratum  on 
snow-white  columnar  stalks;  these  are  again  joined  one  to  another  by 
the  pure  white  vein-like  cords  of  the  reticulate  hypothallus.  The 
Plasmodium  may  spread  very  widely  over  all  sorts  of  objects  that 
come  in  the  way,  dry  forest  leaves  and  sticks,  or  the  fruit  and  foliage 
of  living  plants.  Closely  resembling  the  preceding,  but  differing  in 
the  globose  sporangia,  it  may  be  instantly  recognized  under  the  lenses 
by  its  coarsely  papillate  spores. 

Not  common.  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ontario,  Ohio,  Iowa, 
Nebraska. 

3.  DlACH^A   SUBSESSILIS   Pk. 

1879.     Diachaea  suhsessilis  Pk.,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.  Nat.  History,  XXXI.,  p.  41. 
1894.     Diachaea  suhsessilis  Pk,,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  92. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  closely  crowded,  small,  about  .5  mm.,  dull 
iridescent-blue,  greenish-gray,  etc.,  globose  or  depressed-globose,  short- 
stalked  or  nearly  sessile ;  stipe  generally  very  short,  reduced  sometimes 
to  a  mere  persistent  cone,  white ;  columella  obsolescent  or  reduced  to 
white  conical  intrusion  of  the  stipe;  capillitium  radiating  from  the 
stipe,  brown,  consisting  of  branching,  anastomosing  threads,  paler  at 
the  tips;  hypothallus  very  scanty  or  none;  spores  minutely  warted, 
the  papillae  arranged  in  an  irregular,  loose  net-work,  violet-brown, 
paler  under  the  lens,  10-12  fx. 

This  species  is  easily  recognizable  by  its  diminutive  size  and  gener- 
ally defective  structure ;  i.  e.  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  degenerate  or 


188  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

depauperate  representative  of  some  finer  form.  Besides  the  type,  yet 
to  be  seen  in  Albany,  Dr.  Sturgis  reports  the  species  from  Connecticut 
and  from  the  Isle  of  Wight!  A  small  gathering  is  before  me  from 
Colorado.  Every  sporangium  is  borne  upon  a  calcareous  pedicel,  very 
short  indeed,  but  real.  The  var.  globosa  referred  to  in  the  English 
text  under  D.  leucopodia  has  not  appeared  so  far  as  reported,  on  this 
side  the  sea,  but  even  such  variety  could  scarcely  in  the  hands  of  a 
collector  take  the  place  of  the  form  now  under  consideration. 

Specimens  of  D.  subsessilis  from  Europe  correspond  remarkably 
with  those  described  by  Drs.  Peck  and  Sturgis.  Mr.  Lister  would 
have  our  species  a  synonym  for  Lamproderma  fuckelianum  cracovense 
(Rost.)  Cel. 

Rare;  from  Connecticut  to  Colorado. 

4.  DiACH^A  BULBiLLOSA  (Berk.  ^  Br.)  List. 

1873.     Didymium  hulbillosum  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  XIV.,  p.  84. 
1898.     Diachaea  hulbillosa  Lister,  Jour.  BoU,  XXXVI.,   p.  165. 
1911.     Diachaea  bulhillosa  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  119. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  small,  iridescent  purple,  stipitate; 
stipe  conical,  white,  sometimes  brown,  half-a-mm.,  half  the  total 
height ;  columella  clavate,  white  or  brown ;  capillitium  of  purple- 
brown  threads  united  to  form  a  lax  net;  spores  violet-grey,  marked 
with  scattered  warts  "6-8  in  a  row  across  the  hemisphere",  7-9  ix. 

Java,  Berkeley  &'  Broome,  op.  c.  Toronto,  Canada;  cited  here  by 
courtesy  of  Miss  Currie  who  gives  the  spores  7.8  jx. 

5.  DlACH^A  THOMASII  Rex. 

Plate  V.,  Fig.  6,  6  a. 
1892.     Diachaea  thomasii  Rex,  Proc.  PhiL  Acad.,  p.  329. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  more  or  less  crowded,  purple  and  bronze, 
iridescent,  globose  sessile  or  short  stipitate;  stipe,  when  present,  very 
short,  thick,  tapering  rapidly  upward,  orange;  hypothallus  orange, 
prominent  venulose,  continuous;  columella  ochre  yellow,  rough,  cylin- 
dric,  tapering  upward  to  one-half  the  height  of  the  sporangium,  ob- 
tuse; capillitium  lax,  of  slender  brown  rigid  threads,  radiating  from 
the  columella  in  every  direction,  anastomosing  to  form  a  loose,  large- 


LAMPRODERMA  CEJE  1 89 

meshed  network;  spore-mass  brown;  spores  by  transmitted  light  viola- 
ceous, minutely,  unevenly  warted,   10-12  p.. 

The  peculiar  orange  color  of  the  calcareous  deposits  in  stipe  and 
columella  easily  distinguish  .this  species.  The  capillitium  is  also  dis-> 
tinctive,  rigid,  simple,  and  comparatively  scant,  lamprodermoid. 
Rex  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  under  low  magnification  the 
spores  appear  spotted ;  but  the  spots  are  occasioned  simply  by  the 
closer  aggregation,  at  particular  points,  of  the  ordinary  papillae. 

A  southern  species.  All  the  specimens  so  far  reported  are  from  the 
mountains  of  North  Carolina. 

The  specimens  referred  to  under  this  name  by  Lister,  Mon.,  p.  92, 
as  coming  from  "Kittery,  U.  S.  A."  (Kittery,  Maine?),  are,  no 
doubt,  according  to  Mr.  Lister's  figures,  Comatricha  caespitosa 
Sturgis.     See  under  that  species. 

C.    LAMPRODERMACE^ 

Sporangia  distinct,  generally  gregarious,  more  or  less  spherical ; 
capillitium  developed  chiefly  or  solely  from  the  summit  of  the 
columella. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Lamprodermacese 

A.  Columella  percurrent;  capillitium  from  a  disk  at  the  apex, 

1.    Enerthenema 

B.  Columella  scarce  reaching  the  centre  of  the  sporangium. 

a.  Capillitium  not  forming  a  net        ...        2.     Clastoderma 

b.  Capillitium  forming  an  intricate  net   .        .         3.    Lamproderma 

c.  Minute,   capillitium   rudimentary       .         .        4.     Echinostelium 

1.     Enerthenema  Bowman 

1828.     Enerthenema  Bowman,   Trans.  Linn.  Soc,  XVI.,  p.  152. 

Sporangia  stipitate,  the  stipe  extended  as  a  columella,  which  en- 
tirely traverses  the  sporangium  and  forms  at  the  apex  an  expanded 
disk;  from  this  depends  the  capillitium. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Enerthenema 

A.  Spores  free \.     E.  papillatum 

B.  Spores  in  clusters 2.     £.  berkeleyanum 


190  TFIE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

1.  Enerthenema  papillatum   (Pers.)  Rost. 

Plate  V.,  Fig.  3. 

1801.  Stemonitis  papillata  Pers.,  Syn.,  p.  188. 

1828.  Enerthenema  elegans  Bowm.,   Trans.  Linn.  Soc,  XVI.,  p.  152. 

1862.  Comatricha  obtusata  Preuss,  Sturm,  DeutschL  Flora,  PI.  LXX. 

1876.  Enerthenema  papillatum    (Pers.)   Rost.,  Mon.  A  pp.,  p.  28. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  crowded,  stipitate,  spheroidal,  naked,  black 
fuscous,  above,  shining,  adorned  with  a  minute,  black  papilla ;  stipe 
black,  opaque,  conical  or  attenuate  upward,  about  equal  to  the  perid- 
ium;  columella  at  the  apex  expanded  into  a  shining  disk;  capillitium 
springing  from  the  lower  side  of  the  disk  or  from  its  edge,  made  up 
of  scarcely  forked  threads  which  are  free  below;  spores  violaceous  or 
fuscous  black,  minutely  warted,  10-12  /u. 

Rare.  Wisconsin,  Ohio,  South  Carolina,  Illinois,  Pennsylvania, 
Iowa,  Colorado. 

This  is  one  of  the  few  species  so  well  marked  that  Persoon's  de- 
scription, I.e.,  is  definitive:  "Stylidio  toto  penetrante.  Capillitium 
exacte  globosum,  sub-compactum,  in  eius  apice  stylidium  papillae  in 
modum  prominet."  For  this  reason  Bowman's  specific  name  elegans 
is  discarded. 

2.  Enerthenema  berkeleyanum  Rost. 

1876.     Enerthenema   berkeleyanum  Rost.,   Mon.  App.,  p.  29. 
1913.     Enerthenema  syncarpon  Sturgis,  Myxo.  Col.,  II.,  p.  448. 

This  species  corresponds  to  the  preceding  in  all  respects  except  in 
the  fact  that  the  spores  are  clustered  in  groups  of  four  to  twelve  and 
are  a  little  larger,  11-13  /x,  strongly  spinulose  on  the  exposed  surface. 

Dr.  Sturgis  reports  this  from  Colorado,  /.  c.,  but  discards  Rosta- 
iinski's  specific  name  on  the  ground  that  the  type  has  disappeared ; 
only  the  spores  of  some  fungus  hyphs  remain  in  the  place  and  these 
may  have  been  mistaken  by  Berkeley.  This  seems  hardly  possible 
since  such  supposition  would  not  account  for  the  generic  reference 
either  by  Berkeley  (and  Broome)  or  by  Rostafinski.  The  description 
in  the  Monograph  is  minute  as  that  of  one  who  had  the  form  under 
his  lenses.     Rostafinski  saw  Berkeley's  specimens. 


CLASTODERMA  191 

For  a  similar  case,  see  under  Prototrichia  metallica,  Mycetozoa 
2nd  ed.,  p.  261. 

South  Carolina,  type;  Colorado. 

2.     Clastoderma  Blytt 
1880.     Clastoderma  Blytt,  Bot.  Zeit.,  XXXVIIL,  p.  343. 

Sporangium  globose,  distinct,  stipitate;  the  columella  short  or  obso- 
lete; the  capillitium  of  few  sparsely  branched  threads,  which  bear  at 
their  tops  the  persistent  fragments  of  the  peridium,  but  are  not  other- 
wise united. 

Distinguished  from  Lainproderma  by  the  peculiar  manner  in  which 
the  peridium  is  ruptured,  and  by  the  simplicity  of  the  scanty  capil- 
litium.    So  far  there  appears  to  be  but  a  single  species. 

1.     Clastoderma  debaryanum  Blytt. 

Plate  XIII.,  Fig.  6,  and  Plate  XVI.,  Fig.  13. 

1880.     Clastoderma  debaryanum  Blytt,  Bot.  Zeit.,  XXXVIIL,  p.  343. 
1886.     Orthotrichia  microcephala  Wing.,  Jour.  Myc,  II.,   p.   126. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  very  minute,  1-12  to  ^  mm.  in 
diameter,  the  peridium  fugacious,  except  the  minute  patches  that  ad- 
here to  the  capillitial  branchlets,  and  the  slight  annulus  at  the  base  of 
the  columella;  stipe  long,  unequal,  dark  below,  above  paler;  columella 
almost  none,  giving  early  rise  to  the  comparatively  few  slender 
threads  which  by  their  repeated  forking  make  up  the  capillitium; 
spores  globose,  even,  violaceous,  8-9  ju,. 

Reported  in  the  United  States  so  far  from  Maine,  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  and  Illinois. 

The  sporangia  are  very  small,  but  beautiful,  delicate  little  struc- 
tures, found  on  the  bark  of  living  red  oak  in  this  country ;  in  Norway 
it  seems  to  have  been  seen  first  on  a  dead  polyporus.  Its  minuteness 
doubtless  causes  it  to  be  generally  overlooked,  N.  A.  F.,  2498. 

3.     Lamproderma  Rostafinski 
1873.     Lamproderma  Rostafinski,   Versuch,  p.  7. 

Sporangia  stipitate,  globose,  or  ellipsoid ;  columella  cylindric  or 
inflated  or  clavate  at  the  apex,  scarcely  attaining  half  the  height  of 


192  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

the  peridium ;  peridium  shining  with  metallic  tints,  deciduous,  except 
where,  at  the  base  of  the  columella,  it  forms  a  ring  around  the  stipe ; 
capillitium  rising  in  tufts  or  by  simple  branches  from  the  columella, 
the  threads  regularly  forked,  generally  united  into  a  net. 

The  lamprodermas  are  distinguished  from  the  comatrichas,  to 
which  they  are  most  nearly  allied,  by  the  arrangement  of  the  capil- 
litium, its  development  from  the  apex  only  of  the  columella,  the 
continuation  of  the  stipe  within  the  peridium.  In  other  words,  the 
peridium  leaves  the  stipe  some  distance  below  the  point  where  the 
lowest  capillitial  branches  take  origin.  In  mature  specimens  the 
peridium  has  often  entirely  disappeared,  its  only  trace,  a  collar,  more 
or  less  distinct,  around  the  stipe,  marking  the  beginning  of  the  colu- 
mella. Nevertheless  the  peridium  is  far  more  persistent  than  in  any 
comatricha,  and  shows  in  yet  greater  brilliancy  the  wondrous  metallic 
tints  and  iridescence  of  Comatricha  and  Diachaea.  Older  authors, 
so  far  as  can  be  seen,  distributed  the  species  between  Physarum  and 
Stemonitis. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Lamproderma 

A.  Peridium  metallic  blue. 

a.  Stipe  short,  stout. 

1.     Capillitium  tips  colorless       .        .         .         5.     Z-.  violaceum 

b.  Stipe  long,  slender. 

1.  Capillitium    of   dark,   tapering,   oft-united   threads, 

3.    L.  columhinum 

2.  Capillitial  threads  rigid,  dark  brown,  seldom  united, 

4.    L.  scintillans 

B.  Peridium  not  blue,  silvery. 

a.  Stipe  long,  slender. 

1.  Capillitium  very  intricate,  forming  a  compact  net, 

6.    L.  arcyrionema 

2.  Capillitium  of  rigid  dark  brown  threads    1.    L.  physaroides 

b.  Stipe  short,  heads  large,   1  mm.  or  more        .         2.    L.  robustum 

1.     Lamproderma  physaroides  (Alb.  &  Schw.)  Rost. 

1805.     Physarum  physaroides  Alb.  &  Schw.,  Consp.  Fung.,  p.  103. 
1875.     Lamproderma  physaroides   (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Rest,  Mon.,  p.  202. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  wide-spreading,  globose,  the  peridium  per- 
sistent with  a  silver  metallic,  sometimes  brassy,  lustre;  stipe  long, 
brown  or  black,  tapering  upward ;  hypothallus  well  developed,  brown 


LAMPRODERMA  193 

or  purple,  usually  not  continuous;  columella  swollen,  obtuse,  short  at 
best,  hardly  attaining  the  centre  of  the  sporangium;  capillitium  very 
rigid,  of  simple  or  sparingly  branched,  dark-brown  threads  radiating 
from  the  clavate  apex  of  the  columella  and  only  here  and  there 
anastomosing  toward  the  surface,  the  ultimate  divisions  distinctly 
rough;  spores  lilac  brown,  rough,  10-12.5  /n. 

This  species  is  well  described  and  illustrated  in  Rostafinski's  Mono- 
graph. It  is  well  marked  by  its  clavate  columella  and  peculiarly 
simple,  dark  rigid  capillitium,  the  branches  of  which  rise  in  great 
numbers  immediately  from  the  columella,  and  maintain  their  primi- 
tive thickness  during  the  greater  part  of  their  length.  The  transverse 
vincula  are  often  at  right  angles  to  the  principal  branches,  and  the 
meshes,  where  formed,  are  often  long  and  rectangular.  Externally, 
it  resembles  L.  arcyrionema,  but  is  by  its  spores  and  capillitium  in- 
stantly distinguished.  Rostafinski  gives  the  spores  12.5-14.2  [i. 
Large  spores  are  less  common  in  the  specimens  before  us.  Lister 
figures  a  sessile  variety. 

In  our  first  edition  this  species  was  entered  from  lists  published  for 
New  England,  New  York,  and  Ohio.  The  intervening  years,  how- 
ever, have  brought  no  confirmation.  Specimens  from  Maine  and 
Ohio,  with  large  spores,  represent  L.  columbinum,  and  those  cited 
for  New  York  are  forms  of  L.  violaceum.  It  is  accordingly  doubtful 
that  L.  physaroides  (A.  &  S.)  Rost.  occurs  in  North  America.  That 
it  is  to  be  found  in  Europe  there  seems  no  doubt.  The  figure  and 
description  by  Schweinitz,  /.  c,  may  indeed  be  inconclusive,  but 
Rostafinski's  citation  and  abundant  description  leave  no  doubt  as  to 
his  opinion ;  while  numerous  localities  named  would  indicate  adequate 
material.  What  Rostafinski  described  will  no  doubt  obtain  wider 
recognition  some  day. 

2.     Lamproderma  robustum  Ell.  ts"  Evh. 

1892.     Lamproderma  robustum  Ell.  &  Evh.,   Mass.,  Man.,  p.   99. 

1894.     Lamproderma  violaceum  var.  sauteri  Rost.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  129. 

1899.     Lamproderma  sauteri  Rost.,  Macbr.,  A'^.  A.  S.,  p.  140. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  dull  black,  the  peridium  when  pres- 
ent silvery,  shining,  or  simply  smooth,  transparent  and  without  irides- 

14 


194  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

cence,  stipitate;  stipe  short,  black,  tapering  rapidly  upward,  annulate 
with  the  persisting  base  of  the  peridium ;  columella  short,  thick,  trun- 
cate, and  widened  at  the  top;  hypothallus  well  developed,  brown  or 
purple ;  capillitium  dense,  made  up  of  dark  brown  branches,  numerous 
and  rather  slender,  repeatedly  branched  and  anastomosing  toward  the 
surface  to  form  a  slight  delicate  network  with  abundant  free  ends; 
spores  dark  purple  brown,  rough,  14-16  fi. 

This  species  in  outward  appearance  resembles  L.  physarotdes,  from 
which  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  much  greater  diameter  of  the 
globose  sporangium,  1  mm,  or  more.  The  persistent  base  of  the 
peridium  is  also  characteristic,  very  prominent  sometimes,  and  visible 
to  the  naked  eye.  The  capillitium  is  also  unlike  that  of  L.  physa^ 
roides;  resembles  more  nearly  that  of  L.  violaceum.  From  the  latter 
species  L.  robustum  is  distinguished  by  the  color  of  the  peridium,  and 
by  the  larger,  darker  spores  and  generally  different  capillitium.  In 
our  former  edition  this  is  called  L.  sauteri  Rost.  That  much-quoted 
author  distinguished  L.  violaceum  and  L.  sauteri;  the  English  authors 
make  the  last  named  a  variety  only  of  the  former.  This  our  Amer- 
ican species  is  not. 

It  is,  as  presented  in  our  western  mountains,  clear-cut,  well  defined, 
not  a  variety  of  anything.     The  original  name  is  therefore  restored. 

Lamproderma  arcyrioides  (Somm. )  Morgan  is  probably  a  form  of 
L.  columbinum.  The  original  L.  arcyrioides  has  not  yet  been  cer- 
tainly identified  in  North  America ;  see  following  species. 

Colorado,  Oregon,  Washington,  California. 

3.     Lamproderma  columbinum   (Pers.)  Rost. 

1796.     Physarum  columbinum  Pers.,  Obs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  5. 
1875.     Lamproderma  columbinum  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  203. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious ;  rich  violet  or  purple  with  metallic 
iridescence,  globose,  stipitate;  the  stipe  long,  three-fourths  the  total 
height,  slender,  subulate,  black ;  hypothallus  scant,  purplish  or  brown ; 
columella  small,  one-third  the  height  or  less,  tapering  or  acute,  black; 
the  capillitium  brown  throughout,  not  dense,  arising  from  nearly  all 
parts  of  the  columella,  freely  branching  and  anastomosing  to  an  open, 
large-meshed  network;  spore-mass  black,  spores  by  transmitted  light 
dark  brown,  rough,  10-12  fi. 


LAMPRODERMA  195 

Rostafinski  distinguished  this  beautiful  species  by  the  color  of  the 
peridium  and  the  conic  columella.  According  to  Mr.  Lister,  Rosta- 
finski was  not  specially  careful  in  labelling  his  material,  different 
forms  having  been  included  under  this  specific  name.  Nevertheless, 
the  description  is  well  drawn,  and  excludes  L.  physaroides  completely. 
At  all  events  our  American  specimens  correspond  so  well  with  the 
description  of  L.  columbinum  (Pers.)  Rost,  that  there  seems  no 
doubt  that  we  have  here  what  the  Polish  author  figured  and  de- 
scribed, whether  or  not  he  was  always  consistent  in  applying  his 
labels.  The  color  distinguishes  at  sight  the  present  species  from  L. 
physaroides,  and  the  capillitium  and  large  rough  brown  spores  dis- 
tinguish it  from  L.  violaceuni.  The  capillitium  of  the  minute  L. 
scintillans  is  much  denser  and  more  rigid,  and  the  spores  smaller. 
The  stipe  when  dry  is  ciliate. 

This  is  the  common  species  of  our  western  mountains,  especially  on 
the  Pacific  slope.  In  the  Cascades  every  dark  ravine  is  certain  to 
show  it  in  later  summer  and  autumn,  far  extended  colonies  covering 
the  moist  surfaces  of  every  mouldering  log;  the  myriad  globoid 
sporangia  giving  back  when  brought  to  the  sunlight  the  most  extrava- 
gant blues  and  greens  with  all  the  splendor  of  metallic  sheen,  their 
brilliant  beauty  never  fails  to  quicken  the  attention  of  even  the  most 
insensate  tourist. 

Abundant  in  the  western  forests,  in  the  east  extremely  rare ;  Maine, 
Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  Washington,  Oregon ;  Vancouver, 
Canada. 

4.     Lamproderma  scintillans  (Berk.  &'  Br.)  Morg. 
Plate  V.,  Figs.  2,  2  a. 

1877.  Stemonitis  scintillans  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  XV.,  p.  2. 

1877.  Lamproderma  arcyrioides,  var.  iridea  Cke.,  Myx.  G.  B.,  p.  50. 

1892.  Lamproderma   irideum    (Cke.)    Mass.,   Mon.,   p.   95. 

1894.  Lamproderma  scintillans  (Berk.  &  Br.)   Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  47. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  globose  or  depressed-globose,  rich 
metallic  blue  or  purple,  iridescent,  stipitate ;  the  stipe  long,  slender, 
even,  inclined  and  nodding  or  sometimes  erect;  hypothallus  small, 
circular;  columella  cylindric,  small,  not  reaching  the  centre,  black; 


196  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

capillitium  dense,  of  rigid,  straight,  sparingly  branched  or  anasto- 
mosing, brown  threads,  which  are  sometimes  white  or  colorless  just 
as  they  leave  the  columella;  spores  globose,  rough,  violaceous  brown. 

This  is  L.  irideum  of  Cooke  and  of  Massee's  Monograph.  Its 
capillitium  is  remarkable,  and  constitutes  an  easy  diagnostic  mark. 
The  threads  appear  at  first  sight  entirely  simple,  but  are  really  sev- 
eral times  furcate,  and  not  infrequently  anastomose.  The  spores  are 
covered  with  sparsely  sown  large  papilla,  easily  seen  under  moderate 
magnification. 

This  is  one  of  our  earliest  species.  To  be  sought  in  May  on  beds 
of  decaying  oak  leaves  in  the  woods,  especially  in  wet  places,  near 
streams,  etc. 

Rare.     New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa. 

5.     Lamproderma  violaceum  (Fries)  Rost. 

1829.     Stemonitis  violacea  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  162. 
1875.    Lamproderma  violaceum    (Fries)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  204. 

Sporangia  closely  gregarious  or  scattered,  depressed-globose,  more 
or  less  umbilicate  below,  metallic  blue  or  purple,  sessile  or  short  stipi- 
tate ;  stipe  stout,  dark  brown  or  black,  even ;  hypothallus,  when  the 
sporangia  are  crowded,  a  thin,  continuous,  purplish  membrane ;  when 
the  sporangia  are  scattered,  the  hypothallus  discoidal ;  columella 
cylindric  or  tapering  slightly  upward,  the  apex  obtuse,  black,  attain- 
ing the  centre  of  the  sporangium ;  capillitium  lax  and  flaccid,  made 
up  of  flexuous  threads  branching  and  anastomosing  to  form  a  net- 
work, open  in  the  interior,  more  dense  without,  the  threads  at  first 
pale  brown  as  they  leave  the  columella,  becoming  paler  outward  to 
the  colorless  tips ;  spores  minutely  warted,  violaceous  gray,  9-1 1  /t. 

This  is  our  most  common  species ;  found  on  decaying  sticks  and  logs 
late  in  the  fall.  Its  pale  capillitium  will  usually  distinguish  it,  espe- 
cially where  the  sporangia  are  empty;  then  the  pallid  free  extremities 
of  the  capillitial  branches  give  to  the  little  spheres  under  the  lens  a 
white  or  hoary  appearance  not  seen  in  any  other  species. 

The  Plasmodium  is  at  first  almost  transparent,  then  amber  tinted, 
sending  up  tiny  semi-transparent  spheres  on  shining  brownish  stalks. 


LAMPRODERMA  197 

As  the  changes  approach  maturity,  the  sporangia  become  jet-black, 
and  only  at  last  when  the  spores  are  ready  for  dispersal  does  the 
peridium  assume  its  rich  metallic  purple  tints.  Colonies  a  meter  in 
length,  two  or  three  decimeters  in  width,  are  sometimes  seen ! 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Iowa,  South  Dakota;  Toronto.     Common. 

6.     Lamproderma  arcyrionema  Rost. 

Plate  V.,  Figs.  \,  \  a. 
1875.    Lamproderma  arcyrionema  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  208. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  globose,  silvery  gray  or  bronze, 
iridescent,  erect,  stipitate;  stipe  black,  long,  two-thirds  to  three- 
fourths  the  total  height,  slender,  rigid;  columella  slender,  cylindric, 
attaining  about  one-third  the  height  of  the  sporangium  when  it 
breaks  into  the  primary  branches  of  the  capillitium;  capillitium  ex- 
ceedingly intricate,  made  up  of  slender,  flexuous  brown  threads  which 
frequently  branch  and  anastomose  to  form  an  elegant  round-meshed 
network  resembling  that  of  Arcyria,  free  ultimate  branchlets  not 
numerous;  spores  in  mass  jet-black,  by  transmitted  light  violaceous, 
smooth,  or  only  faintly  warted,  6-8  yu.. 

In  outward  appearance  this  species  resembles  L.  physaroides,  but  is 
easily  recognizable  by  its  very  peculiar  capillitium.  This,  in  its  pri- 
mary branching,  resembles  a  comatricha.  In  typical  forms,  the  colu- 
mella branches  at  the  apex  only,  generally  into  two  strong  divisions 
which  then  break  up  irregularly  and  anastomose  in  every  direction. 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  form  present  to  Rostafinski  when  he 
wrote  "columella  truncate."  In  Central  American  and  some  North 
American  specimens,  the  branching  is  very  different ;  the  twigs  leave 
the  columella  at  various  points  almost  down  to  the  annulus,  and  the 
entire  effect  is  dendroid.  The  columella  is  lost  almost  at  once.  A 
small  form  of  this  species  was  formerly  distributed  in  the  United 
States  as  Comatricha  friesiana  DeBy.  This  circumstance  led  the 
present  author  to  describe  Central  American  forms  as  C.  shimekiana. 
Judging  from  a  remark  by  Massee  {Mon.,  p.  97),  a  similar  confusion 
seems  to  have  prevailed  in  Europe.     As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  resem- 


198  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

blance  between  C.  friesiana,  i.  e.  C.  nigra,  and  the  present  species  is 
sufficiently  remote. 

Lamproderma  minutum  Rostafinski  seems  to  be  a  small  form  of 
this  species.  Rostafinski  bases  his  diagnosis  upon  the  branching  of  the 
columella,  which  is,  as  we  have  seen,  inconstant,  and  upon  the  color- 
less capillitium.  This  feature  in  specimens  examined  is  also  in- 
constant. 

Occurring  in  large  colonies  on  barkless  decaying  logs  of  various 
species;  the  Plasmodium  almost  colorless. 

New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Mexico, 
Nicaragua ;   Vancouver's   Island ;   Ontario,   Toronto, — Miss   Carrie. 

4.     Echinostelium  DeBary 
1873.     Echinostelium  DeBary,  Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  7. 

Sporangia  distinct,  globose,  minute,  the  structure  limited  to  a  few 
imperfect  rib-like,  loosely  joined  branches  developed  from  the  short 
columella  or  stem-top,  sustaining  the  spores. 

A  single  species :  — 

1.     Echinostelium  minutum  DeBy. 

1873.     Echinostelium  minutum  DeBy.,  Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  7. 
Plate  XIX.,   Figs.   11   and   11a 

Sporangia  distinct,  scattered,  globose,  very  minute,  40-50  /u,  stipi- 
tate;  the  stipe,  hair-like  subulate,  granular  but  hyaline;  columella 
minute  or  none;  capillitium  consisting  of  a  few  arcuate  spinose 
threads  loosely  united  supporting  the  uncovered  spores,  spores  globose, 
colorless,  smooth,  7-8  /a. —  Rostafinski. 

This  very  singular  and  diminutive  form,  the  least  of  all  slime- 
moulds,  is  probably  widely  distributed  but  the  accident  of  discovery 
is  rare,     DeBary  found  it  once  only,  at  Frankfurt  am  Main. 

Miss  Lister  reports  its  occurrence  in  England  and  Austria.  In  the 
United  States  it  has  been  seen  but  once  on  certain  laboratory  mate- 
rial from  Massachusetts,  studied  by  Dr.  Thaxter. 

Our  drawing  is  after  Rostafinski,  IV.,  68 ;  Miss  Lister  follows  No. 
54,  and  so  finds  a  bit  of  peridium  below  the  two  spores  shown  in  the 
figure,  one  on  each  side  of  a  microscopic  columella. 


CRIBRARIALES  199 

This  is  almost  the  only  taxonomic  suggestion ; — a  mere  sugges- 
tion; this  microscopic  bit  of  anxious  life  is  but  a  shadow, — a  shade, 
a  shadow  of  a  lamproderma! 

Order  III 

CRIBRARIALES 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous  or  aethalioid,  or  consisting  of  dis- 
tinct sporangia;  peridia  membranaceous  at  maturity,  more  or  less 
evanescent,  opening  irregularly  or  by  means  of  a  delicate  network, 
which  involves  at  least  the  upper  part  of  the  sporangium ;  capillitium 
usually  none;  spores  of  some  shade  of  brown,  umbrine,  rarely 
purplish. 

This  order  is  distinguished  —  except  in  a  single  case  —  by  the 
entire  absence  of  true  capillitium,  the  pallid  or  brown  spores,  the 
gradual  evolution  of  distinct  sporangia  in  which  provision  for  spore- 
dispersal  is  made  by  peridial  modification  especially  at  the  sporangium- 
top. 

Key   to   the    Families   of    the    Cribrariales 

A.  Fructification  plasmodiocarpous  scattered  as  if  made  up  of  the  segments 

of  the  plasmodial  net Liceac^ 

B.  Fructification  of  distinct  and  separate  sporangia,  long  stipitate,  opening 

by  a  delicate  operculum  at  the  top         .         .         .        OrcadellacEjE 

C.  Fructification   aethalioid,  the  sporangia  generally  more  or  less  tubular, 

often  prismatic  by  mutual  pressure;  opening  by  rupture  of  the  apex, 
the  lateral  walls  entire TuBiFERACEiE 

D.  Fructification  aethalioid,  the  sporangia  ill  defined,  their  walls  more  or 

less  perforate,  frayed,  or  dissipated,  forming  a  pseudo-capillitium, 

RETICULARIACEiE 

E.  Fructification  of  distinct  and  separate  sporangia,  the  walls  more  or  less 

reticulately  perforate  especially  above     .         .         .         CRiBRARiACEiE 

A.    LICEACE.E 
A  single  genus,  — 

1.     Licea  (Schrader)  Rost. 

1797.     Licea  Schrader,  Nov.  Gen.  Plant.,  p.  16,  in  part. 
1875.     Licea   (Schrader)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  218. 

Sporangia  plasmodiocarpous,  looped,  irregular,  or  distinct,  sessile, 


200  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

and  regularly  rounded  or  elliptical ;  the  peridium  simple,  rather  firm, 
ruptured  irregularly  or  by  simple  fissure;  hypothallus  none. 

This  genus  is  distinguished  from  other  similar  plasmodiocarpous 
forms  by  the  extreme  simplicity  of  its  structure.  There  is  absolutely 
no  capillitium  nor  anything  like  it,  simply  a  mass  of  spores  surrounded 
by  thin  membranous  walls.  The  spores  range  from  pale  olive,  color- 
less under  the  lens,  through  various  shades  of  brown  to  dusky  almost 
black  in  L.  pusilla.     Schrader  included  the  Tubifera  species. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Licea 

A.  Plainly   plasmodiocarpous         .        .         .-        .        .         1.     L.   variabilis 

B.  Opening  by  regular  segments. 

1.  Segments  two  only 3.     L,  biforis 

2.  Segments  several. 

i.     Spores  brown 4.     L.  minima 

ii.     Spores  dusky  olive 5.     L.  pusilla 

1.     LiCEA  VARIABILIS  Schrader. 

Plate  XII.,  Figs.  7  and  8. 

1797.  Licea  variabilis  Schrader,  Nov.  Gen.,  p.  18,  PI.  VI.,  Figs.  5  and  6. 

1801.  Licea  variabilis  Schr.,  Pers.,  Syn.  Meth.,  p.  197. 

1801.  Licea  flexuosa  Pers.,  Syn.  Meth.,  p.  197. 

1911.  Licea  flexuosa  Pers.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  189. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  elongate,  hamate,  annulate  or  ir- 
regularly repent,  very  dark  brown,  rough,  the  peridium  of  two  layers, 
the  outer  closely  adhering,  dark  brown,  thick,  opaque,  the  inner  deli- 
cate, membranous,  very  thin,  transparent,  iridescent,  rugulose,  rup- 
turing irregularly;  hypothallus  none;  spores  in  mass  pale  yellow  with 
a  greenish  tinge,  by  transmitted  light  nearly  colorless,  large,  globose, 
minutely  spinulose,  12.5  ^. 

This  is  the  largest  species  of  the  genus  as  represented  in  this  coun- 
try, the  plasmodiocarps  of  various  lengths  and  from  .5-.7  /x  wide. 
Somewhat  resembling  some  species  of  Ophiotheca,  but  of  much  darker 
color.  The  outer  peridium  is  deciduous,  and  the  inner  slowly  rup- 
tures, by  irregular  fissures  discharging  the  spores.  The  Plasmodium, 
according  to  Schrader,  is  white.    Rare.     Probably  overlooked. 

Any  good  reason  for  changing  the  name  given  to  this  form  so  well 


LICE  A  201 

illustrated  and  described  by  Schrader  does  not  appear.  Persoon 
quotes  his  predecessor's  species  and  adds  L.  flexuosa  on  his  own  ac- 
count; strangely  enough,  since  Schrader  expressly  describes  L.  varia- 
bilis, "in  uno  eodemque  enim  loco  peridium  hemisphericum,  ovatum, 
oblongum  flexuosum  vel  aliter  formatum  diversi  est  diametri." 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Iowa. 

Licea  flexuosa  Pers.  is  by  Schweinitz  reported  from  Pennsylvania. 
It  is  described  as  having  brown  spores,  10-15  /a,  spinulose. 

2.  Licea  biforis  Morffan. 

Plate  XIL,  Fig.  10. 
1893.     Licea  biforis  Morgan,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  5. 

Sporangia  regular,  compressed,  sessile  on  a  narrow  base,  gregari- 
ous; the  wall  firm,  thin,  smooth,  yellow  brown  in  color  and  nearly 
opaque,  with  minute,  scattered  granules  on  the  inner  surface,  at 
maturity  opening  into  two  equal  parts,  which  remain  persistent  by 
the  base;  spores  yellow-brown  in  mass,  globose  or  oval,  even,  9-12  /u,. 

Minute  but  perfectly  regular,  almost  uniform,  corneous-looking 
sporangia  are  thickly  strewn  over  the  inner  surface  of  decaying  bark. 
Each,  at  first  elongate,  pointed  at  each  end,  opens  at  length  by  fissure 
along  the  upper  side  setting  free  the  minute  yellowish  spores.  Unlike 
anything  else;  reminding  one,  at  first  sight,  of  some  species  of 
Glonium. 

Inside  bark  of  Liriodendron.     Ohio,  Canada. 

3.  Licea  minima  Fries. 

1829.    Licea  minima  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  199. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  umber-brown,  spherical  or  hemispherical, 
sessile;  the  peridium  opaque,  brown,  opening  along  pre-figured  lines, 
forming  segments  with  dotted  margins,  ultimately  widely  reflexed ; 
spores  in  mass  dark  brown,  by  transmitted  light  paler  with  olive  tints, 
minutely  roughened,  10-11  /x. 

The  very  minute  sporangia,  3  mm,,  of  this  species  cause  it  to  be 
overlooked  generally  by  collectors.  Nevertheless,  it  may  be  found  on 
decaying  soft  woods,  in  August,  probably  around  the  world.     The 


202  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

number  of  sporangia  produced  by  one  plasmodium  is  in  Iowa  also 
small.  The  larger  specimens  might  be  mistaken  for  species  of  Peri- 
chaena,  but  are  easily  distinguished  by  the  regular  and  lobate  de- 
hiscence.    The  Plasmodium  is  yellow. 

Dr.  George  Rex,  in  almost  the  last  paper  from  his  hand,  gives  an 
interesting  account  of  this  diminutive  species.  Among  various  gath- 
erings studied  he  found  a  black  variety,  a  melanistic  phase,  so 
to  say,  and  was  able  to  follow  the  evolution  of  the  sporangia  from  the 
yellow  Plasmodium.  The  sutures  by  which  the  peridium  opens,  first 
show  signs  of  dififerentiation  by  change  of  color  from  yellow  through 
garnet  to  black.  Later  the  entire  wall  undergoes  similar  color  changes, 
beginning  next  the  completed  sutural  delimitations.  Of  the  open 
peridia,  the  reflexed  segments  remind  one  of  certain  didermas,  as 
D.  radiatum.     See  Bot.  Gaz..  Vol.  XIX.,  p.  399. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Iowa. 

4.     LiCEA  PUSILLA  Schrader. 

1797.     Licea  pusilla  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  19,  tab.  VI,,  f.  4. 
1829.     Physarum  licea  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  143. 
1875.     Protoderma  pusilla    (Schrader)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p   90. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  depressed-globose,  sessile  on  a  flat- 
tened base,  dark  brown,  shining,  .5-1  mm. ;  peridium  thin,  dark 
colored,  translucent,  dehiscent  above  by  regular  segments;  spore-mass 
almost  black,  spores  by  transmitted  light  olivaceous  brown,  smooth,  or 
nearly  so,  15-17  fi. 

Fries,  /.  c,  makes  this  a  physarum,  and  argues  the  case  at  length, 
evidently  with  such  efficiency  that  he  greatly  impressed  Rostafinski, 
who  did  not  make  it  a  physarum  indeed,  but  actually  gave  it  generic 
place  and  station  of  its  own;  a  physarum  may  do  without  calcium  in 
the  capillitium  perhaps,  but  not  be  entirely  non-calcareous;  so  he 
writes  Protoderma  (first  cover)  and  places  the  species  number  1  on 
the  long  list  of  endosporous  forms.  Even  in  his  'Dodatek',  or  supple- 
ment, as  we  should  say,  he  refers  to  the  thing  again,  but  only  to 
correct  the  inflexional  ending  of  the  specific  name ;  he  writes  Proto- 
derma pusillum   (Schrader)   Rost! 

Schweinitz    reports    the    species    for   America   and    Morgan    cites 


ORCADELLA  203 

Schvveinitz  and  reports  it  for  Ohio,  but  we  find  it  in  no  American 
collections. 

B.    ORCADELLACE^ 

Sporangia  distinct,  minute,  long  stipitate,  opening  above  by  a  dis- 
tinct lid. 

A  single  genus,  — 

Orcadella  Wingate 

1889.    Orcadella  Wingate,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  280. 

Sporangia  furnished  with  rigid,  unpolished  stipes,  blending  above 
with  the  substance  of  the  thick  unpolished  walls;  the  operculum  thin, 
delicate,  membranaceous. 

A  single  species,  — 

1.     Orcadella  operculata  Wingate. 

Plate  XII.,   Fig.    11. 
1889.     Orcadella  operculata  Wingate,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  280. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  ellipsoidal,  ovoid,  obconical  or 
nearly  globose,  dull  brown  or  blackish,  the  wall  simple,  thick,  coarse, 
at  the  top  replaced  by  a  delicate,  thin,  yellowish,  iridescent,  lustrous 
or  vernicose  membrane  which  forms  a  circular,  smooth,  or  wrinkled 
lid,  soon  deciduous;  stipe  of  varying  height,  rough  from  deposit  of 
plasmodic  refuse;  spores,  in  mass  yellowish,  globose,  smooth,  8-11  u. 

This  curious  little  species,  well  described  by  its  discoverer,  appears 
to  be  very  rare.  At  least  it  is  seldom  collected ;  overlooked  by  reason 
of  its  minuteness.  It  is  a  stipitate  licea,  or  a  lid-covered  cribraria; 
perhaps  nearer  the  former.  It  affects  the  bark  of  species  of  Quercus, 
and  seems  to  be  associated  there  with  Clastoderma  debaryanum. 
N.  A.  F.,  2497. 

Pennsylvania,  Maine. 

C.    TUBIFERACE.^ 

Fructification  asthalioid  or  of  distinct  sporangia ;  sporangia  well  de- 
fined, tubular,  often  prismatic  by  mutual  pressure,  seated  on  a  com- 
mon, well-marked  hypothallus,  at  length  dehiscent  by  the  irregular 


204  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

rupture  of  the  pcridfum,  in  typical  cases  at  the  apex,  its  walls  remain- 
ing then  otherwise  entire;  capillitial  threads  in  No.  3,  only. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of   the   Tubiferaceae 

A.  Spores  olivaceous;  sporangia  in  one  or  several  series,     1.     Lindbladia 

B.  Spores  umber;  sporangia  in  a  single  series  ...         2.     TuBlFERA 

C.  Sporangia  stipitate;  capillitium  of  tubular  threads       .         3.     Alwisia 

1.     Lindbladia  Fries 

1849.     Lindbladia  Fries,  Sum.  Veg.  Scand.,  p.  449. 

Fructification  aethalioid ;  the  sporangia  short,  tubular,  sometimes 
superimposed,  sometimes  forming  a  simple  stratum,  in  the  latter  case 
generally  sessile,  but  sometimes  short-stipitate,  the  peridium  at  first 
entire,  at  length  opening  irregularly  either  at  the  sides  or  apex,  beset 
with  granules;  spores  olivaceous. 

This  genus  was  established  by  Fries  in  1849  to  accommodate  a 
single  species  of  wide  distribution  and  somewhat  varying  habit,  which 
is  neither  a  tubifera  nor  yet  a  cribraria  and  offers  points  of  resem- 
blance to  each.  It  is  distinct  in  that  the  sporangia,  while  often  in 
single  series,  are  yet  often  superimposed.  It  resembles  Tubifera  in 
its  simple  sporangia,  opening  without  the  aid  of  a  net;  it  is  like 
Cribraria  in  the  smooth  ochraceous-olivaceous  spores  and  granulifer- 
ous  peridium. 

1.     Lindbladia  effusa  (Ehr.)  Rost. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  3,  3  a,  Plate  XII.,  Figs,  1,  2. 

1818.     Licea  effusa  Ehr.,  Syh.  Myc.  Ber.,  p.  26. 

1875.     Lindbladia  effusa    (Ehr.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  223. 

1879.     Perichaena  caespitosa  Peck.,  Rep.  N.   Y.  Mus..  XXXI.,   p.   57. 

Sporangia  minute,  either  closely  combined  and  superimposed,  so  as 
to  form  a  pulvinate  aethalium,  or  crowded  together  in  a  single  layer, 
sessile,  or  short-stipitate;  the  peridia  thin,  membranous,  marked  by 
scattered  plasmodic  granules,  often  lustrous,  sometimes  dull  lead- 
colored  or  blackish,  especially  above ;  stipe,  when  present,  very  short 
but  distinct,  brown,  rugulose;  hypothallus  well  developed,  membra- 
nous, or  more  or  less  spongiose  in  structure;  spore-mass  ochraceous, 
under  the  lens,  nearly  smooth,  almost  colorless,  6-7.5  /x. 


TUBIFERA  205 

This  very  variable  species  has  been  well  studied  by  Dr.  Rex.  See 
Bot.  Gaz.,  XVII.,  p.  201.  In  its  simpler  phases  it  presents  but  a 
single  layer  of  sporangia  generally  closely  crowded  together,  some- 
times free  and  even  short  stipitate!  In  the  more  complex  phase  the 
sporangia  are  heaped  together  in  a  pulvinate  mass  in  which  the 
peridia  appear  as  boundaries  of  minute  cells.  In  this  case  the  outer- 
most sporangia  are  often  consolidated  to  form  a  cortex  more  or  less 
dense  and  shining.  In  any  case  the  hypothallus  is  a  prominent  fea- 
ture ;  generally  laminated  and  of  two  or  three  layers,  it  is  in  the  more 
hemispheric  asthalia  very  much  more  complex,  sponge-like.  When 
thin  this  structure  is  remarkable  for  its  wide  extent,  40-50  cm. !  The 
simpler  forms  approach  very  near  to  Cribraria  through  C.  argillacea. 
The  most  complex  remind  us  of  Enteridium. 

This  is  Perichaena  caespitosa  Peck.  In  this  country  it  has,  how- 
ever, been  generally  distributed  as  L.  effusa  Ehr.  This  author  throws 
some  doubt  on  the  species  he  describes  by  suggesting  that  the  Plasmo- 
dium may  be  red.  The  description,  however,  and  figures  are  other- 
wise good  and  are  established  by  the  usage  of  Rostafinski.  The 
Plasmodium  has  much  the  same  color  as  the  mature  fruit. 

Widely  distributed.  New  England  to  the  Black  Hills  and  Colo- 
rado, south  to  Arkansas.     California,  about  Monterey. 

2.     Tubifera  Gmelin 
1791.     Tubifera  Gmelin,  Syst.  Nat.,  II.,  p.  1472. 

Sporangia  tubular,  by  mutual  pressure  more  or  less  prismatic,  con- 
nate, pale  ferruginous-brown,  iridescent,  the  walls  thin,  slightly  gran- 
ular, long-persistent ;  dehiscence  apical ;  hypothallus  thick,  spongiose, 
white  or  whitish;  spore-mass  ferruginous. 

This  genus  is  easily  recognized  by  the  tubular  sporangia,  destitute 
of  capillitial  threads,  seated  upon  a  strongly  developed  hypothallus. 
The  synonymy  of  the  qase  is  somewhat  difficult.  It  is  possible  that 
Mueller's  Tubulifera  ceratum,  Fl.  Dan.,  Ellevte  Haefte,  1775,  p.  8, 
may  belong  here,  but  neither  the  text  nor  the  figures  make  it  certain. 
Neither  he  nor  CEder,  who  gives  us  T.  cremor  in  the  same  work,  had 
any  accurate  idea  of  the  objects  described.  Gmelin's  description  of 
Tubifera,  II.,  2,  1472,  is,  however,  ample,  and  his  citations  of  Bui- 

\ 


206  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

liard's  plates  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  forms  he  included.  Gmelin 
writes:  "Thecse  (membranae  expansae  superimpositae)  inter  se  con- 
natae  seminibus  nudiusculis  replete." 

Why,  in  face  of  so  good  a  description,  Persoon  changed  the  name 
to  that  since  current,  Tubulina,  is  not  clear. 

Fries  thinks  Mueller  had  an  immature  Arcyria  before  him,  Syst. 
Myc,  III.,  p.  196.  Tubulifera  arachnoidea  Jacq.,  1778,  is  also  an 
uncertain  quantity,  insufficiently  described. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Tubifera 

A.  Hypothallus  well  developed,  but  not  conspicuous. 

a.  Pseudo-columellae  none         ....         1.     T.  ferruginosa 

b.  Pseudo-columellae  present  at  least  in  many  of  the  tubules, 

2.     T.  casparyi 

B.  Hypothallus  prominent,  columnar        ....         3.     T.  stipitata 

1.     TuBiFERA  FERRUGINOSA  (Batsch)  Macbr. 

Plate  I.,  Fig.  4;  Plate  VII.,  Fig.  8;  Plate  XII.,  Fig.  14. 

1786.  Stemonitis  ferruginosa  Batsch,  Elench.,  p.  261,  Fig.   175. 

1791.  Sphaerocarpus  cylindricus  Bull.,  Champ.,  p.   140,  t.  470,  III. 

1791.  Tubifera  ferruginosa  Gmelin,  Syst.  Nat.,  1472    {ex  parte). 

1805.  Tubulina  cylindrica   (Bull.)    DC,  Fl.  Fr.,  671. 

1875.  Tubulina  cylindrica   (Bull.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  220. 

1894.  Tubulina  fragiformis   (Pers.)   Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  153. 

Sporangia  crowded,  cylindric  or  prismatic,  elongate,  connate,  more 
or  less  distinct  above,  pale  umber-brown,  generally  simple  though 
occasionally  branched  above,  the  peridia  thin,  sometimes  fragile,  but 
generally  persistent,  transparent,  iridescent;  hypothallus  strongly  de- 
veloped, spongiose,  white,  often  projecting  beyond  the  aethalioid  mass 
of  sporangia ;  spore-mass  umber-brown  or  ferruginous ;  spores  by  trans- 
mitted light  almost  colorless,  plainly  reticulate  over  three-fourths  of 
the  surface,  6-7  fi. 

Not  rare  on  old  logs,  mosses,  etc.,  from  Maine  to  Alaska.  Ap- 
parently more  common  north  than  south.  Easily  known  by  its  long, 
tubular  sporangia  packed  with  rusty  spores  and  destitute  of  any  trace 
of  columella  or  capillitium,  the  hypothallus  explanate,  rather  thick, 
but  not  columnar.  A  single  plasmodium  may  give  rise  to  one  or  sev- 
eral colonies,  at  first  watery  or  white,  then  red,  of  somewhat  varying 


TUBIFERA  207 

shades,  then  finally  umber-brown.  These  colors  were  noticed  by  all 
the  older  authors,  but  very  inaccurately;  thus  a  white  Plasmodium  is 
the  basis  for  Tubifera  cylindrica  (Bull.)  Gmel.,  a  roseate  Plasmodium 
for  Tubifera  iragiformis  (Bull.)  Gmel.,  and  the  mature  fructification 
for  Tubifera  ferruginosa  (Batsch)  Gmel.  Rostafinski  adopted  a  spe- 
cific name  given  by  Bulliard,  but  Batsch  has  clear  priority. 

The  peridia  are  sometimes  accuminate,  and  widely  separate  above. 
This  is  Persoon's  T.  fragiformis.  In  most  cases,  however,  the  peridia 
are  connate  throughout,  and  sometimes  present  above  a  membranous 
common  covering.  This  is  T.  fallax  of  Persoon ;  Licea  cylindrica 
(Bull.)  Fries.  In  forms  with  thicker  peridia,  the  walls  often  show 
the  granular  markings  characteristic  of  the  entire  Anemeae. 

2.  Tubifera  stipitata  (Berk.  &  Rav.)  Macbr. 

1858.     Licea  stipitata  Berk,  &  Rav.,  Am.  Acad.,  IV.,  p.  125.i 
1868.     Licea  stipitata  Berk,  &  Rav.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  X.,  p.  350. 

1875.  Tubulina  stipitata    (Berk.  &  Rav.)    Rost,,  p.  223. 

Sporangia  crowded  in  a  globose  or  more  or  less  hemispheric,  ex- 
panded head,  borne  upon  a  spongy,  stem-like,  sulcate  hypothallus 
3-4  mm.  high,  their  apices  rounded,  their  walls  very  thin,  evanescent; 
spores  in  mass  umber-brown,  small,  about  5  /x,  the  epispore  reticulate 
as  in  the  preceding  species. 

This  differs  from  number  1  chiefly  in  the  cushion-like  receptacle  on 
which  the  crowded  sporangia  are  borne,  and  in  the  smaller  spores. 
The  species  originates  in  a  Plasmodium  at  first  colorless,  then  white, 
followed  by  salmon  or  buff  tints,  which  pass  gradually  into  the  dark 
brown  of  maturity.  This  peculiar  succession  of  colors  is  perhaps 
more  diagnostic  than  the  difference  in  habit.  The  spores  are,  how- 
ever, constantly  smaller  in  all  the  specimens  we  have  examined,  and 
the  stipitate  habit  very  marked. 

New  England,  New  York,  south  to  South  Carolina,  and  west  to 
South  Dakota ;  our  finest  specimens  are  from  Missouri. 

3.  Tubifera  casparyi  (Rost.)  Macbr. 

Plate  XII.,   Fig.  9. 

1876.  Siphoptychium  casparyi  Rost.,  Mon.  A  pp.,  p.  32. 

^  For  this  citation  we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Hugo  Bilgram. 


208  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Sporangia  closely  crowded,  tubular,  cylindrfc  or  prismatic  by  mu- 
tual pressure,  connate,  the  apices  rounded,  convex,  covered  by  a  con- 
tinuous membrane,  umber-brown ;  the  peridia  firm,  persistent, 
minutely  granular,  iridescent;  hypothallus  well  developed,  thin, 
brown,  explanate;  pseudo-columellas  erect,  rigid,  traversing  many  of 
the  sporangia,  and  in  some  instances  bound  back  to  the  peridial  walls 
by  slender,  membranous  bands  or  threads,  a  pseudo-capillitium ; 
spore-mass  dark  brown  or  umber,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale, 
globose,  reticulate,  7.5-9  /x. 

This  is  Siphoptychium  casparyi  Rost.  In  Bot.  Gaz.,  XV.,  p.  319, 
Dr.  Rex  shows  that  the  relationships  of  the  species  are  with  Tubifera; 
that  the  so-called  columella  is  probably  an  abortive  sporangium,  the 
so-called  capillitial  threads  having  no  homology  with  the  capillitial 
threads  of  the  true  columelliferous  forms.  It  is  a  good  species  of 
Tubifera,  nothing  more.  The  tubules  are  shorter  than  in  either  of 
the  preceding  species;  the  spores  are  darker,  larger,  and  more  thor- 
oughly reticulate. 

The  Plasmodium  is  given  by  Dr.  Rex,  /.  c,  as  \vhite,  then  "dull 
gray  tinged  with  sienna  color,"  then  various  tones  of  sienna-brown,  to 
the  dark  umber  of  the  mature  jethalium. 

New  York,  Adirondack  Mountains ;  Allamakee  Co.,  Iowa. 

3.      Alwisia  Berk.  &'  Br. 
Plate  XIX.,  Figs.  5  and  5  a. 
1873.     Alivisia  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  Vol.  XIV.,  p.  86. 
Sporangia  ellipsoidal,  clustered,  stipitate;  dehiscence  by  the  falling 
away  of  the  upper  part  of  the  peridium  disclosing  a  persisting  pencil 
of  capillitial  threads.     A  single  species :  — 

1.     Alwisia  bombarda  Berk.  &"  Br.. 
1873.     Alivisia  bombarda  Berk.  &  Br.,  Jour.  Linn  Soc,  XIV.,  p.  86. 

Sporangia  gathered  in  clusters  of  four  to  eight,  surmounting  coa- 
lescent,  or  sometimes  divergent  stalks,  rusty-brown,  or  pallid,  the 
peridium  evanescent  above;  the  coalescing  stalks  forming,  especially 
below,  a  clustered  column,  2  mm.  in  height,  equalling  the  sporangia, 
dull  reddish-brown  in  color;  capillitium  of  rigid,  tubular,  generally 


RETICVLARIA  209 

simple  threads,  attaching  above  by  delicate  tips,  below  by  a  broader 
sometimes  branching  base,  sometimes  conjoined  near  the  peridial  wall, 
now  and  then  at  irregular  intervals  inflated  slightly  or  anon  bulbose, 
roughened  by  projecting  spinules,  one-third  the  diameter,  brownish  or 
yellow;  spores  reddish-brown,  faintly  marked  by  reticulating  bands 
over  large  part  of  the  surface,  5-5.5  /x. 

This  peculiar  species  looks  at  first  very  little  like  a  myxomycete. 
The  stiff  projecting  hairs  of  the  capillitium  are  hyphal  in  appearance 
and  under  the  lens  recall  the  phycomycetes ;  but  the  spores  and  withal 
the  general  structure  seem  to  claim  recognition  here.  Rostafinski  was 
inclined  to  make  a  trichia  of  it,  because  of  the  hair-like  capillitium, 
and  markings  on  the  threads,  Massee  found  indistinct  spiral  markings 
even,  enough  to  suit  at  least  the  prototrichias.  Mr.  Lister  would  put 
it  near  the  tubifers.  Father  Torrend  thinks  of  the  dianemas,  mar- 
garitas,  etc.,  because  of  simple  capillitium  attached  above  and  below! 
Spore-characters  are  probably  the  index  most  reliable,  and  the  partial 
reticulation  suggests  association  with  Tubtfera  and  for  the  present 
it  may  find  station  there,  as  in  the  English  monograph. 

Rare.  Collected  three  times:  twice  in  Ceylon,  once  in  Jamaica. 
By  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Farlow,  late  lamented,  we  record  the  western 
specimens. 

D.    RETICULARIACE.E 

Fructification  aethalioid ;  the  sporangia  sometimes  poorly  defined, 
intricately  associated,  borne  on  a  common  hypothallus  and  covered 
above  by  a  common  cortex;  the  lateral  walls  variously  perforate  and 
incomplete,  form  a  pseudo-capillitium ;  spores  umber  or  ochraceous. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Reticulariaceee 

A.  Spores  umber. 

a.  Sporangia   wholly  indeterminate,   their   walls   much   consolidated 

below,  fraying  out  above  into  long,  slender  threads, 

1.    Reticularia 

b.  Sporangia   bounded,   more  or  less   distinctly,   by  broad   perforate 

plates  throughout 2.     Enteridium 

B.  Spores  ochraceous 3.     DiCTYDii^THALiUM 

1.     Reticularia  (Bull.)  Rost. 

1791.     Reticularia  Bulliard,  Champ,  de  la  France,  p.  95,  in  part. 
1873.     Reticularia    (Bulliard)    Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  6. 

15 


210  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Plasmodium  at  first  white,  then  pink,  'ashes  of  roses,'  etc.  Sporan- 
gia wholly  indeterminate  or  undefined,  their  walls  represented  (  ?)  by 
a  spongy  mass  of  so-called  capillitium,  consisting  of  membranous 
plates,  branching,  anastomosing,  vanishing  without  order  or  sym- 
metry, generally  giving  rise  at  the  sides,  and  especially  above,  to  long 
slender  ficxuous  threads;  outer  cortex  silvery  white;  hypothallus  dis- 
tinct, white;  spore-mass  and  threads  umber  or  rusty  brown. 

A  single  species,  — 

1.     Reticularia  lycoperdon  (Bull.)  Rost. 

Plate  X,,  Figs.  7,  7a;  Plate  XII.,  Fig.  3. 
1791.     Reticularia  lycoperdon  Bull.,   Champ,  de  la  France,  p.  95. 

vEthalium  pulvinate,  2-8  cm.  broad,  at  first  silvery  white,  later 
less  lustrous,  the  cortex  irregularly  and  slowly  deciduous;  hypothallus 
at  first  conspicuous  as  a  white  margin  extending  round  the  entire 
aethalium,  evanescent  without,  but  persisting  as  a  firm  membrane 
beneath  the  spore-mass,  pseudo-capillitium  abundant,  tending  to  form 
erect  central  masses  which  persist  long  after  the  greater  part  of  the 
fruit  has  been  scattered  by  the  winds;  spore-mass  umber,  spores  by 
transmitted  light  pale,  reticulate  over  about  two-thirds  of  the  surface, 
the  remainder  slightly  warted,   8-9  fi. 

Not  common.  Often  confused  with  the  following,  the  spores 
of  the  two  forms  being  very  much  alike ;  the  internal  structure,  entire- 
ly different,  and  once  compared,  the  two  are  thereafter  easily  dis- 
tinguished at  sight  by  external  characters.  The  sporangial  make-up 
is  indifferent,  confused.  It  represents  a  phase  in  development  whence 
might  issue  columellae  with  capillitium-branches  or  distinct  tubular 
sporangia  with  persisting  walls;  or  are  such  structures  here  but  rem- 
iniscent only?  Compare  Amaurochaete  atra,  where  similar  con- 
ditions prevail.  There  differentiation  goes  on  to  the  formation  of  a 
structure  of  which  Sternonitis  is  type;  here  the  sporangium-wall  be- 
comes dominant;  suffers  modification  for  spore-disposal,  an  idea  reach- 
ing fair  expression  in  Cribraria  and  Dictydium. 

The  Plasmodium  is  \\hite,  noted  Bulliard.  Fries  cites  with  ap- 
proval the  words  of  Schweinitz, — "color  corticis  ab  initio  argenteus 


ENTERIDIUM  211 

sericeo  nitore  insignis ;  sed  deinde  sordescit  e  griseo  in  subfuscum  ver- 
gens."     Sometimes  the  surface  does  indeed  shine  as  silver! 

The  fructification  appears  to  be  isolated  in  each  case;  the  entire 
Plasmodium  consumed  in  a  single  plasmodiocarp. 

Widely  distributed.     Maine  to  California,  and  south. 

2.     Enteridium  Ehrenberg 
1818.     Enteridium  Ehrenberg,  Link  and  Spreng.,  Jahrb.,  Bd.  II.,  p.  55. 

Fructification  asthalioid ;  the  confluent  sporangia  inextricably  inter- 
woven, the  walls  perforate  by  large  openings,  the  resultant  network 
of  broad  plates  and  bands  widening  at  the  points  of  intersection. 

The  genus  Enteridium  is  distinguished  from  Reticularis  chiefly 
by  the  more  perfectly  developed  sporangial  walls.  These  are  every- 
where membranous  and  do  not  show  the  abundant  filiform  dissipa- 
tion so  characteristic  of  Reticularia.  The  resultant  structure  in  Re- 
ticularia  is  a  mass  of  more  or  less  lengthened  and  anastomosing  threads ; 
in  Enteridium,  an  exceedingly  delicate  but  sufficiently  persistent 
sponge.  The  "net-like,  three-winged  skeleton"  referred  to  by  Ros- 
tafinski  results  from  the  union  at  one  point  of  three  adjoining  spor- 
angia.    Compare  the  section  of  the  adjoining  cells  of  a  honeycomb. 

Of  this  genus  there  are  but  two  or  three  species,  all  so  far  occur- 
ring in  our  territory. 

Key    to    the    Species    of    Enteridium 

A.  Fructification  umber  brown \     E.  splendens 

B.  Fructification  olivaceous 2.     E.  olivaceum 

C.  Fructification  minute,   1-2  mm 3.     E.  minutum 

1.     Enteridium  splendens  Morg. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  1,  \  a,  \b;  Plate  XII.,  Figs.  4,  5. 

1876.    Reticularia  {!)    rozeanum  Rost.,  Mon.  App.,  p.  33. 

1889.     Enteridium  rozeanum    (Rost.)   Wing.,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  156. 

1892.  Enteridium  rozeanum  Wingate,  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  Iowa, 
XL,  p.  117. 

1893.  Reticularia  splendens  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Sac,  p.  11. 
1899.     Enteridium  splendens  Morg.,  Morg.  in  litt. 

iEthalium  pulvinate,  even,  or  somewhat  irregular,  unevenly  swollen 


212  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

or  inflated,  lobate  or  compound,  covered  by  an  exceedingly  thin,  gen- 
erally smooth,  shining,  but  never  white,  pellicle  or  cortex,  brown, 
from  1—6  cm.  in  diameter;  hypothallus  white,  often  wide  ex- 
tending; capillitium  none;  the  sporangial  walls  thin  and  brown 
forming  a  network  as  above  described;  spore-mass  umber,  spores  by 
transmitted  light  pale,  about  two-thirds  of  the  surface  reticulate,  the 
rest  nearly  smooth,  7-9  /x. 

Very  common,  especially  west,  on  decaying  logs  and  stumps  of 
every  description.  Easily  distinguished  by  its  brown  color  and  smooth, 
shining,  though  uneven  surface.  The  Plasmodium  as  it  emerges  to 
form  fruit  is  pale  pink  or  flesh  color,  slowly  deepening  to  brown  as  ma- 
turity advances.     The  first  emergence  is  a  watery  white. 

New  England,  Canada,  to  Minnesota  and  Nebraska,  South  Da- 
kota, 

In  1876  Rostafinski  provisionally  referred  to  the  genus  Reticularia 
certain  specimens  received  from  M.  Roze  of  Paris.  Thirteen  years 
later  in  correspondence  with  M.  Roze,  Mr.  Wingate  satisfied  himself 
that  the  specimens  discovered  by  Roze  were  the  same  as  our  common 
enteridium.  He  therefore,  /.  c,  applied  to  our  American  forms  the 
name  they  have  widely  borne,  E.  rozeanum.  Mr.  Lister,  Jour,  of 
Botany,  Sept.  '91,  applied  the  Rostafinskian  name  to  ertain  English 
specimens.  Thereafter  to  be  known  as  Reticularia  lobata  Rost.  and  so 
fixed  the  status  of  that  species.  From  all  the  literature  before  us 
it  appears  that  Mr.  Lister  w^as  right.  R.  lobata  List,  (now  Liceop- 
sis  lobata  (List.)  Torr.,  occurs  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  while  our 
American  species  of  Enteridium  is  yet  to  be  discovered  on  that  side  of 
the  sea! 

Were  the  latter  native  to  the  old  world  at  all,  it  had  surely  been  seen 
long  ago.  It  is  large  and  fine,  and  could  not  have  escaped  the  famous 
collectors  of  the  last  two  hundred  years.  Although  it  has  been  sent 
by  students  from  this  side  of  the  ocean  to  Europe  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  it  has  not  even  adventitiously  appeared. 

It  therefore  appears  that  our  American  species  is  known  to  Europe 
through  Mr.  Wingate's  reference  only. 

Tw^enty  years  ago  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  Wingate  it  was 
learned  that  the  material  received  by  him  from  M.  Roze  was  but 


ENTERIDIUM  213 

a  small  fragment,  crushed  flat,  and  even  this  was  at  that  time 
no  longer  in  evidence.  This  specimen  was  itself  not  part  of  the 
gathering  submitted  to  Rostafinski;  but  only  the  fragment  of  some- 
thing appearing  in  1890  in  the  same  locality! 

.     .     .     .     "something  not  the  same. 

But  only  like  its  forecast  in  men's  dreams." 

When  we  further  reflect  that  the  spores  of  species  of  several  of 
the  forms  now  in  review,  Tubifera,  Reticularia,  Enteridium,  are  not 
without  difliculty  distinguished,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  Mr.  Wingate's 
specific  reference  has  narrow  foundations  to  say  the  least.  It  seems 
now  likely  that  Father  Torrend's  Liceopsis,  Reticulara  lobata  R., 
M.  Roze's  aftermath,  and  all,  are  but  the  depauperate  forms  of  some 
tubifera! 

E.  rozeanum  Wing.,  is  therefore  the  synonj^m  for  an  ill-defined 
something  in  Western  Europe  and  need  not  further  here  concern  us 
as  far  material  reference  goes. 

In  any  case,  what  induced  Mr.  Wingate  to  pull  Rostafinski's  un- 
certain description  of  a  problematic  form  across  the  sea,  to  attach  it 
to  our  clearly  defined  and  well  known  American  species,  changing 
the  Polish  description  the  while  to  make  it  fit,  is  hard  to  understand  ; 
especially  in  view  of  the  fact,  by  Wingate  admitted,  that  Rex  had 
in  his  letters  to  Morgan  already  named  the  American  type 
Enteridium  umbrinum.  The  two  students  differed  as  to  generic  refer- 
ence, and  later  on  Morgan  published  Reticularia  splendens  Morg. ; 
rather  than  R.  umbrina  (Rex)  Morg.  because  he  was  using  R.  um- 
brina  Fr.  for  what  is  generally  known  as  R.  ly  coper  don   {Bull.) 

It  would  then  appear  that  when  Wingate  sought  to  impose  the 
Rostafinskian  specific  name  upon  our  American  form  by  changing 
(fixing!)  Rostafinski's  generic  reference,  and  by  re-writing  the 
specific  description  from  the  pages  of  the  Monograph  in  order  to 
claim  identity,  he  was  entirely  without  justification,  especially  since 
he  knew  the  species  appropriately  named  by  his  colleague.  Dr.  Rex, 
and  had  the  name  as  used  in  the  Rex  and  Morgan  correspondence. 

In  brief;  Mr.  Wingate  proceeded  to  re-describe  Rostafinski's  rozean 
specimen  and  referred  a  long-known  American  form  (very  different) 
to  the  European  specimen  as  type.     Wingate's  description  is  right; 


214  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

he  had  the  American  material  before  him;  but  his  cited  type  is  worth- 
less, an  entirely  different  thing. 

Does  the  reader  care  to  see  what  the  European  type  of  our  common 
form,  Wingate  teste,  really  looks  like,  let  him  consult  the  Jour,  of 
Botany,  Vol.  XXIX.,  p.  263,  1891. 

2.  Enteridium  olivaceum  Ehr. 
1818.    Enteridium  olivaceum  Ehr. 

/Ethalium  depressed  flat,  oval  or  elongate,  .3  cm.  in  extent,  .6  mm. 
thick  when  fresh,  glossy,  smooth,  greenish-olivaceous-brown ;  within  a 
spongy  net-work  representing  sporangial  walls  which  are  thin,  pale 
olivaceous,  perforate  by  circular  openings,  meshes  surrounded  by 
wide  plates;  spores  in  clusters,  six  or  more  together,  ovoid,  distinctly 
warted  at  the  wider  end,  pale  olivaceous,  9-1 1  fi. 

This,  the  type  of  the  genus,  is  a  very  distinct  species  of  this  by 
its  structure  readily  distinguished  form.  Fries  thought  the  species 
might  represent  a  less  perfectly-developed  reticularia,  and  therefore 
wrote  Reticularia  oltvacea  noting,  however,  the  clustered  spores 
and  the  lack  of  hypothallus. 

Common,  as  would  appear,  in  Europe  and  in  S.  America;  rare 
with  us.  Reported  from  N.  Hampshire  and  we  have  one  specimen 
from  Colorado. 

3.  Enteridium  minutum  Sturg. 

1917.    Enteridium  minutum  Sturg.,  Mycologia,  IX,  p.  328. 

i^thalia  rounded  or  elongate,  pulvinate,  pale  umber  in  color, 
seated  on  a  broad  membranous  base,  1.5-2  mm.  in  diameter;  wall 
wrinkled  and  usually  marked  with  small  scattered  pits,  pale-yellow, 
membranous;  walls  of  component  sporangia,  membranous,  minutely 
roughened,  perforated  with  round  openings,  the  margins  of  which 
show  many  free  threads;  or  reduced  to  irregular,  anastomosing 
strands  arising  from  the  base  of  the  aethalium,  with  membranous 
or  net-like  expansions  at  the  angles  and  with  many  delicate,  free, 
pointed  ends.     Spores  pale-yellow,  usually  united  in  twos  or  threes. 


DICTYDIMTIIALWM  215 

and  ovoid  or  flattened  on  one  side;  when  free,  globose,  very  minutely 
spinulose,  9.5-10.5. 

Colorado:  Dr.  Sturgis. 

3.     Dictydiaethallum  Rostafinski 

1873.     Dictydiaethalium  Rost.,   Versucli,  p.   5. 
1875.     Clai/iroptyc/iium  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  224. 

iEthalium  depressed,  flat;  the  sporangia  erect,  regular,  prismatic 
by  mutual  pressure,  the  peridia  convex  above,  v^^anting  at  the  sides 
and  within  the  aethalium  represented  by  vertical  threads  marking 
the  angles  and  passing  from  base  to  summit.  ■ 

This  genus  is  readily  recognized  by  the  internal  structure  of  the 
sethalium.  The  lateral  wall-openings,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  char- 
acterize the  sporangia  of  the  preceding  genus,  here  become  ex- 
treme, occupying  to  such  extent  the  lateral  wall-space  of  each  spor- 
angium that  only  threads  remain  to  mark  the  vertical  angles. 

In  1873  Rostafinski  applied  the  generic  name  here  adopted,  be- 
cause he  thought  he  discovered  close  relationships  with  Dictydium. 
In  1875,  believing  his  first  impressions  erroneous,  and  desirous  that 
the  nomenclature  might  not  at  once  mislead  the  student  and  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  his  own  mistake,  the  same  author  proposed  the 
name  by  which  the  genus  has  generally  ever  since  been  known — 
Clathroptychium.  However  sensible  the  latter  conclusion  reached 
by  our  Polish  author,  it  is  plainly  contrary  to  all  rules  of  priority. 

Our   region   shows  but  a  single  widely  distributed   species, — 

1.       DlCTYDI^.THALIUM    PLUMBEUM    {Schum.)    Rost. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b. 

1803.  Fuligo  plumbea  Schum.,  Enum.  Saell.,  No.  1410. 

1833.  Licea  rugulosa  Wall.,  Cr.  Fl.  Ger.,  IV.,  p.  345 

1873.  Dictydtaetlialium  plumbeum   (Schum.)  Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  5. 

1875.  Clathroptychium  rugulosum    (Wallr.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  225. 

1894.  Dictydiaethalium  plumbeum  Rest.,  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  157. 

^thalium  thin,  very  flat,  olivaceous  or  ochraceous,  smooth,  under 
the  lens  punctate,  in  section  showing  the  columnar  or  prismatic  spo- 
rangia, which  are  normally  six-sided,  having  at  the  edges  six  simple 


216  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

threads,  the  remains  of  peridium,  extending  from  base  to  apex,  where 
the  peridium  remains  intact,  arcuate;  hypothallus  prominent,  radiat- 
ing far  around  the  a^thalium,  silvery  white ;  spores  in  mass,  ochra- 
ceous,  or  dull  brownish  yellow,  by  transmitted  light  almost  colorless, 
rough  9-10  fjL. 

Not  rare,  on  decaying  logs,  especially  of  Tilia  americana,  where 
in  the  same  place  successive  fructifications  follow  each  other  some- 
times for  weeks  together  in  the  latter  part  of  summer  and  early 
fall.  The  jethalium  is  generally  elliptical  or  elongate,  2-3  cm.  in 
extent,  sometimes  irregular  or  branched,  varying  in  color  according 
to  degree  of  maturity,  weathering,  etc.  Plasmodium  at  first  watery, 
then  pink,  or  flesh-colored. 

Eastern  United  States;  common.     Toronto; — Miss  Carrie. 

E.     CRIBRARIACEi^ 

Sporangia  distinct,  more  or  less  closely  gregarious,  stipitate,  the 
peridium  opening,  especially  above,  by  a  well-defined  network  formed 
from  thickenings  in  the  original  sporangial  wall. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Crihrariaceae 

A.  Peridial  thickenings  in  form  of  an  apical  net  with  definite  thickenings 

at  the  intersections  of  the  component  threads         .         1.     Cribraria 

B.  Peridial  thickenings  in  form  of  parallel  meridional   ribs  connected  by 

delicate  transverse  threads 2.     Dictydium 

Cribraria  (Pers)   Schroder. 

1794.     Cribraria  Persoon,  Romer,  A^.  Bot.  Mag.,  I.,  p.  91,  in  part. 
1797.     Cribraria  Schrader,  Nov.   Gen.  Plant.,  p.   1,  in  part. 
1875.     Cribraria  Rostafinski,  Mon.,  p.  229. 

Sporangia  distinct,  gregarious  or  closely  crowded,  globose  or  ob- 
ovoid,  stipitate ;  the  stipe  of  very  varying  length ;  the  peridium  simple, 
marked  within  by  distinct  and  peculiar,  granular,  thickenings,  which 
below  take  the  form  of  radiating  ribs,  supporting  the  persisting  cup, 
calyculus,  and  above,  by  extremely  delicate  anastomosing  branches, 
unite  to  weave  a  more  or  less  regular  net  with  open  polygonal  meshes ; 
spores  various,  more  often  yellowish  or  ochraceous,  sometimes  brown, 
reddish,  or  purple. 


CRIBRARIA  217 

The  genus  Cribraria,  as  limited  by  Persoon,  included  all  forms 
in  which  the  peridium  is  thin,  evanescent  half-way  down,  or  entirely, 
and  in  which  capillitium,  as  Persoon  regarded  the  case,  is  formed  of 
a  network  of  reticulate  threads  surrounding  the  spores,  Schrader 
re-defined  the  genus;  opposed  Persoon's  view  as  to  the  capillitial 
nature  of  the  net,  and  separated  the  genus  Dictydiurn,  but  by  imper- 
fect limitations,  —  in  fact,  chiefly  because  of  the  more  completely 
evanescent  peridium.  Fries  follows  Schrader.  Rostafinski  first  clear- 
ly separated  the  two  genera,  and  his  classification  is  here  adopted. 
Nevertheless,  after  reviewing  the  subject  entire  one  is  more  and 
more  inclined  to  appreciate  the  commendation  of  Fries;  "Auctor 
Schrader,  qui  insuper  plurimas  species  detexit,  et  hoc  et  sequens 
genus  ita  proposuit  ut  sequentes  vix  aliquid  addere  valuerint." 

As  to  the  habitat  of  the  cribrarias,  the  remark  of  Schrader  is  still 
pertinent  — "in  vetustissimis  plenarias  destructionis  proximis  arborum 
truncis" — for  all  the  species.  Rotten,  coniferous  wood  seems  to  be 
preferred,  but  the  decayed  logs  of  trees  of  other  orders  are  by  no 
means  refused.    Rotten  oak  forms  a  very  common  habitat. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Cribraria 

A.     Sporangia  with  spores  ochraceous  or  brownish. 

a.  Sporangia  larger,  .5  mm.  or  more. 

1.  Net  poorly  developed,  sometimes  merely  indicated, 

1.    C.  argillacea 

2.  Net  conspicuous,  nodes  expanded,   not  swollen. 

i.     Calyculus  reticulately  thickened,  ill-defined  above, 

2.    C.  macrocarpa 
ii.     Calyculus    with    radiant   lines    or    ribs;    net   small- 
meshed;  free  ends  none        .         6.     C.  aurantiaca 
iii.     Net  wide-meshed,  calyx   rufous         .        4.     C.  rufa 
iv.     Calyx  replaced  by  ribs        .         .         5.     C.  splendens 

3.  Net  conspicuous,  nodules  swollen. 

i.     Net-threads  simple;  free  ends  many 

7.     C.  dictydioides 
ii.     Net-threads  often   parallel   in  twos  or  threes, 

8.     C.  intricata 

b.  Sporangia  small,  less  than  .5  mm. 

1.  Nodes  not  expanded  .         .        .         3.     C.   minutissima 

2.  Nodes  well  shown. 

i.     Calyculus  distinctly  marked  by  radiant  lines,  nodes 
round 10.     C  tenella 


218  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ii.     Calyculus  minute  or  none;  nodes  prominent, 

11.    C.  microcarpa 
B.     Sporangia  more  or  less  marked  with  purple  or  violet  tints. 
a.     Purple  or  violet  throughout. 

1.  Net  poorly  developed     .         .         .         .         12.     C.  violacea 

2.  Net  well  developed. 

i.     Meshes  regular  and  the  nodes  distinct,  14.   C.  elegans 
ii.     Meshes  and  nodules  irregular    .         13.     C.  purpurea 
h.     Purple  tints  confined  chiefly  to  plasmodic  granules  on  the  calcy- 
ulus  and  stipe. 
Net  with  nodes  well  expanded. 

i.     Stipe  short,  not  more  than  double  the  sporangium;  net 
and  calyculus  both  well  developed    9.    C.  piriformis 
ii.     Stipe  many  times  the  sporangium,  weak, 

15.    C.  languescens 
iii.     Stipe   slender,    sporangium   copper-colored, 

16.     C.  cuprea 


1.     Cribraria  argillacea  Pers. 

Plate  XII.,  Figs.   12,   13;   Plate  XVII.,  Fig.   1. 

1791.     Stetnonitis  argillacea    (Pers.)    Gmel.,   Syst.  Nat.,  II.,   1469. 
1796.     Cribraria  argillacea  Pers.,  Obs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  90. 

Sporangia  dull  ochraceous-olivaceous,  globose,  nearly  1  mm.  in 
diameter,  sessile  or  short  stipitate,  closely  gregarious  or  crowded, 
the  peridial  walls  at  maturity  smooth,  shining,  except  above,  long 
persistent,  obscurely  reticulate,  with  irregular  thickenings  which  at 
the  apex  at  length  present  the  appearance  of  an  irregular,  coarsely 
meshed  net  without  nodal  thickenings;  stipe  very  short,  stout,  erect, 
reddish  brown,  spore-mass  ochraceous,  spores  by  transmitted  light 
pale,   spinulose,   5-6   /t. 

This  species  stands  just  on  the  border-line  between  the  tubiferas 
and  the  genus  now  before  us.  While  on  the  one  hand  it  possesses 
many  characters  such  as  the  habit,  form  of  sporangium,  which  are  dis- 
tinctly tubuline,  on  the  other  it  shows  in  the  upper  peridial  wall  defi- 
nite reticulations  which  suggest  Cribraria.  In  freshly  formed  sporangia 
the  reticulations  are  barely  visible  in  the  crown;  later  on  they  are 
more  manifest,  until,  as  spore-dispersal  proceeds ;  the  cribraria  char- 
acters come  out  with  sufficient  distinctness,  and  in  empty  sporangia 
the  reticulations  may  be  seen  to  affect  the  entire  peridial  wall.     The 


cm  BRA  RI A  219 

nodes  are  not  expanded.  The  spores  are  pale  by  transmitted  light, 
spinulose,  about  6  ix.  Plasmodium  lead-colored.  Found  sometimes 
in  large  patches  on  rotten  logs  of  various  species.     Not  uncommon, 

Cf.   Lindbladia  effusa. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  Ohio, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Washington ;  Canada. 

2.     Cribraria   macrocarpa  Schrader. 

Plate  XVII.,   Fig.  2. 
1797.     Cribraria  macrocarpa  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  Plant.,  p.  8. 

Sporangia  more  or  less  closely  gregarious,  yellowish  brown,  pear- 
shaped  or  obovate,  large,  .8-1  mm.  in  diameter,  stipitate ;  stipe  brown 
furrowed,  erect  or  often  nodding,  about  equal  to  the  sporangium 
or  longer;  calyculus  distinct,  marked  by  numerous  dark  brown  radi- 
ating ribs,  iridescent,  perforate  above,  deeply  dentate,  and  merging 
gradually  into  the  elegant  network,  of  which  the  dark  nodes  are 
more  distinctly  expanded  about  half  way  up,  less  so  at  the  apex  and 
below,  the  filaments  exceedingly  delicate,  simple,  with  occasional 
free  ends  projecting  into  the  small  meshes;  spore-mass  yellowish, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  almost  colorless,  minutely  roughened, 
5-6  II. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  characteristic  of  the  present  species, 
aside  from  its  large  size,  is  the  peculiarly  perforated  cup  or  calyc- 
ulus. Schrader's  artist  failed  him  here  completely.  The  structure 
is  exceedingly  delicate,  the  peridium  between  the  ribs  and  reticula- 
tions reduced  to  the  last  degree  of  tenuity,  with  the  iridescence 
of  the  soap-bubble,  here  and  there  lapsed  entirely.  Withal  the  struc- 
ture seems  firm  enough  and  persists  until  all  the  spores  are  dissipated 
by  the  wind. 

Easily  distinguished  from  the  preceding,  its  only  rival  in  size,  by 
the  obovate  or  turbinate,  netted  sporangium,  its  much  longer  stem, 
and  flat,  perfectly  formed  nodes. 

Rare.  New  York,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Oregon ; 
Toronto,  Canada. 


220  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

3.  Cribraria    iniinutissima   Schiveinitz. 

Plate  XVIL,  Figs.  6,  6  a. 
1832,     Cribraria  minutissima  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  No.  2362. 

Sporangia  scattered,  orange  or  nut-brown,  very  minute,  .1-.3  mm. 
or  less,  globose  or  ellipsoidal,  stipitate,  erect  or  nodding;  hypothallus 
none;  stipe  short,  1-3  times  the  sporangium,  filiform,  tapering  up- 
ward, brown ;  the  calyculus  variable,  sometimes  well  marked  and 
separated  from  the  net  when  fully  mature,  by  a  shallow  constriction, 
more  commonly  small  or  entirely  wanting,  especially  in  the  spher- 
ical sporangia;  net  simple,  large  meshed,  without  nodal  expansions, 
the  threads  flattened;  spore-mass  yellow,  spores  by  transmitted  light, 
pale,  nearly  smooth,  5-6  ju. 

A  most  beautiful  tiny  species.  Generally  in  all  the  specimens  before 
us,  a  perfect,  spherical  net,  firm  enough  to  retain  its  place  and  struc- 
ture after  all  the  spores  have  been  scattered.  When  mature  the 
spore-mass  seems  to  roll  about  as  a  ball,  freely  within  the  net,  the 
spores  being  thus  gradually  dispersed.  The  calyculus  when  present  is 
without  veins.  C.  minima  Berk.  &  C,  and  C.  microscopica  Berk.  & 
C.  are  doubtless  the  same  thing.  Grev.,  II.,  p.  67,  1823.  See  also 
BoL  Gaz.,  XIX.,  397. 

Rare.  Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  Missouri,  Iowa;  Black  Hills, 
South  Dakota. 

4.  Cribraria  rufa  (Roth)  Rost. 

Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  8. 

1788.     Stemonitis  rufa  Roth,  Fl.  Germ.,  I.,  p.  548. 

1794.     Cribraria  rufescens  Pers.,  Roemer,  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  91. 

1797.     Cribraria  fulva  Schrad.,  Nov.   Gen.  PL,  p.  5. 

Sporangia  scattered,  subglobose  or  turbinate,  dark  or  reddish  orange, 
.5-.7  mm.  in  diameter,  erect,  stipitate ;  stipe  about  equalling  the 
height  of  the  sporangium  or  longer,  dark  brown  or  black;  calyculus 
one-third  to  one-half  the  sporangium,  the  margin  toothed,  the  wall 
ribbed  and  continuous  with  the  open  wide-meshed  net;  the  network 
deep  yellow  or  orange,  the  threads  flattened ;  the  nodes  not  thickened, 
little  differentiated ;  spores  concolorous,  by  transmitted  light,  pale 
yellow,  verruculose,  5-7  ju,. 


CRIBRARIA  221 

Similar  to  the  preceding,  but  generally  much  larger  and  not  so 
much  inclined  to  brown.  The  size,  however,  is  extremely  variable 
in  sporangia  from  the  same  Plasmodium  (reported  white),  some  no 
larger  than  those  of  the  species  reckoned  most  minute. 

Oregon.    Professor  Morton  Peck. 

5.  Cribraria  splendens    {Schroder)   Rest. 

Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  10. 

1797.     Dictydium  splendens  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.,  p.  14. 

1801.     Cribraria  splendens   (Schrad.)    Pers.,  Syn.  Fung.,  p.  191. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  dusky  yellow  when  filled  with  spores, 
dull  or  dusky  brown  when  these  are  discharged,  stipitate ;  stipe  long, 
3-4  times  the  sporangium,  subulate,  erect-nodding,  brown;  hypo- 
thallus  none;  network  brown,  with  large  meshes,  imperfectly  defined 
nodes  and  flattened  threads ;  calyculus  none,  its  place  supplied  by  nine 
or  ten  distinct,  firm  ribs  which  radiate  from  the  stipe  and  support 
the  net,  branching  to  blend  with  its  reticulations;  spore-mass  yellow, 
spores  by  transmitted  light,  colorless,  smooth  or  nearly  so,  6-7.5  fx. 

Of  this  species  two  specimens  only  are  before  us,  one  from  Musca- 
tine County,  Iowa,  and  one  from  Washington  (state).  The  species 
seems  thus  to  have  wide  range,  but  to  be  exceedingly  rare.  It  differs 
from  all  other  American  forms,  so  far  described,  in  the  peculiar 
development  of  the  calyculus.  Rostafinski  emphasizes  the  persistence 
of  the  peridial  wall  and  the  peculiar  gleaming  of  the  metallic  tints, 
displayed  by  all  the  structures.  These  particulars  we  have  not  been 
able  to  verify.  Such  characters  may  be  incident  to  age  or  conditions 
of  development.  At  all  events,  in  forms  which  in  all  other  respects 
seem  to  agree  exactly  with  Rostafinski's  descriptions,  the  colors  are 
dull  and  without  any  noticeable  iridescence.  The  spores  in  our  speci- 
mens are  also  a  little  larger  than  quoted.  Rostafinski  gives  5-6  /a; 
Massee,  5-7  /x. 

6.  Cribraria  aurantiaca  Schradcr.  , 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  3,  and  XIX.,  Fig.  7. 
1797.     Cribraria  aurantiaca  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.   5. 
Sporangia  gregarious,  spherical,  dusky  or  yellowish  stipitate,  nod- 


222  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ding ;  the  calyculus  variable,  generally  prominent,  more  or  less  distinct- 
ly marked  by  fine,  delicate  radiating  venules,  the  margin  denticulate, 
the  teeth  numerous  and  slender,  supporting  the  well-defined  globose 
net;  network  made  up  of  very  tenuous  threads,  forming  rather  small 
irregular  brownish  nodules  and  showing  only  here  and  there  a  free 
extremity;  stipe  generally  short,  two  or  three  times  the  diameter  of 
the  sporangium,  sometimes  longer,  tapering  upward,  brown,  slender, 
arcuate  above;  spore-mass  yellow  or  ochraceous,  spores  by  transmit- 
ted light,  colorless,  5-6  /x,  almost  smooth. 

This  widely  distributed  and  very  variable  species  is  generally 
recognized  by  the  large  sporangia,  .5-9  mm.,  comparatively  short 
stipe,  simple  net,  and  more  or  less  orange  color.  The  color  is  an  un- 
certain thing  even  in  the  sporangia,  which  rise  from  one  Plasmodium. 
Schrader,  however,  made  this  feature  so  far  diagnostic  that  he  placed 
the  more  pronouncedly  yellow  forms  in  the  species  C.  aurantiaca  and 
set  of?  as  C.  vulgaris  forms  in  which  more  dusky  tints  prevail.  The 
dark-colored  forms  have  also  usually  longer  stipes,  but  so  much  is 
dependent  upon  the  climatic  conditions  prevalent  at  the  time  of  fruit- 
ing, that  this  feature  also  is  indeterminate.  Rostafinski's  figures, 
21  and  26,  Tab.  II.,  show  the  characteristic  nodules  and  the  typical 
net  structure.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  Fig.  21  represents  higher  mag- 
nification; otherwise  the  two  figures  are  very  much  alike. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  South, 
Ohio,  Washington,  California;  Canada,  Toronto. 

7.     Cribraria  dictydioides  Cke.  &  Balf.. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  5,  5  a,  5  b,  and  XIX.,  6,  6  a,  6  b. 
1881.     Cribraria  dictydioides  Cke.  &  Balf.,  Rav.  Fung.  Am.,  475. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  of  medium  size,  globose,  cernuous,  stipitate ; 
the  stipe  long,  slender,  tapering  upwards,  dull  brown  in  color;  hypo- 
thallus  none;  the  calyculus  variable,  sometimes  well  developed,  as  in 
C.  aurantiaca,  sometimes  rudimentary  or  represented  only  by  irregu- 
lar, node-like  ribs;  the  network  delicate,  the  meshes  small,  few-sided; 
the  nodules  large,  prominent,  brown,  irregular,  with  several  radiat- 
ing, free,  projecting  threads,  beside  the  single  continuous  filaments 


CRIBRARIA  223 

which  pass  from  node  to  node;  spore-mass  pale,  ochraceous;  spores 
nearly  smooth,  colorless,  5-7  /x. 

This  seems  to  be  the  most  common  Cribraria  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  It  is  generally  distinguished  by  the  scant  calyculus  and  the 
beautiful  richness  of  its  clear  delicate  net.  The  stellate  nodules 
especially  above,  emit  filamental  rays  in  all  directions,  but  are,  not- 
w^ithstanding,  united  by  single,  unpaired  threads  only.  The  calycu- 
lus is  often  entirely  absent,  and  this  has  been  supposed  the  typical 
condition;  but,  on  the  contrary,  there  often  may  present  itself  a 
cup  as  distinct  as  in  C.  aurantiaca.  See,  for  this  variation,  Bot.  Gaz. 
XIX.,  p.  398.  The  rather  large  sporangia,  .6-.7  mm.,  the  nodes 
joined  by  single  threads,  the  remaining  radiant  threads,  many  or  few, 
but  very  short — these  seem  to  be  the  most  distinctly  diagnostic  char- 
acters, and  these  are  sufficiently  constant  to  separate  this  species  easily 
from  C.  intricata  on  the  one  hand  and  C.  tenella  on  the  other.  Mr. 
Lister  considers  this  merely  a  form  of  the  next  species. 

Abundant  on  rotten  logs  of  every  sort,  especially  oak;  common  on 
the  lower  side  of  rotting  pine  planks  in  wooden  walks  along  the 
streets  everywhere.     N.  A.  F.,  2095,  seems  to  belong  here. 

Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  North  Carolina,  Missouri,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Ne- 
braska. 

8.     Cribraria  intricata  (Schrad.)  Rost. 

1797.     Cribraria  intricata  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  7. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose,  large,  .7-1  mm,  in  diameter,  nut- 
brown  or  olivaceous,  erect,  stipitate;  stipe  long,  slender,  purplish 
brown,  flexuous ;  calyculus  variable,  sometimes  occupying  one-third  of 
the  sphere,  when  it  is  delicately  costate,  concolorous  with  the  stipe, 
and  passes  over  to  the  net  by  a  distinctly  toothed  or  serrulate  margin, 
sometimes  represented  by  irregular  ribs  or  costa2  only;  net  well 
differentiated,  the  threads  delicate,  transparent,  yellow,  connecting 
large  black  nodules,  running  from  one  to  the  other  in  pairs  or  some- 
times three  together,  free  ends  not  numerous,  the  meshes  few-sided, 
often  triangular;  spores  in  mass,  dull  olivaceous,  under  the  lens 
pallid,  nearly  smooth,  6-7  fi. 

A  very  rare  species,  if  indeed  it  occur  in  this  country.     At  least 


224  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

the  form  figured  by  Rostafinski,  Tab.  II.,  Fig.  27,  and  Massee,  PI. 
1,  Fig.  11,  has  not  come  to  our  notice.  The  parallelism  of  the  net 
threads  is  a  touch  added  by  Rostafinski ;  Schrader  does  not  mention 
it.  Lister  makes  this  species  include  the  preceding.  The  form 
described  in  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la.  XL,  p.  119,  is  C.  dictydioides. 

Reported  from  New  York,  New  England  and  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  English  Monograph  we  are  repeatedly  assured  that  this 
species  is  common  in  the  United  States.  The  statement  is  made 
possible  only  by  the  inclusion  of  the  form  originally  described  from 
America  and  truly  abundant  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  C.  dic- 
tydioides Cke.  &  Balf. ;  C.  intricate,  by  all  accounts,  just  as  pre- 
eminently the  species  of  Europe.  It  is  true  that  Schrader  did  not 
emphasize  the  parallel  connecting  threads  by  which  later  authorities 
distinguish  the  form;  he  had  little  occasion  so  to  do,  even  did  his 
figures  intend  accuracy  in  each  detail,  which  they  did  not,  and  Rosta- 
finski's,  though  his  drawing  is  a  diagram,  certainly  knew  what  he  was 
doing.  Cooke,  in  his  list  for  Great  Britain,  quotes  the  Polish  text 
without  dissent,  and  Massee  follows  and  illustrates;  so  that  there  can 
be  no  doubt  as  to  what  the  European  species  is. 

In  any  cribraria  the  presence  or  relative  obsolesence,  of  the  calyc- 
ulus  is  of  little  taxonomic  import  since  that  structure  is  variable 
in  every  species.  In  the  latest  edition  of  Mr.  Lister's  work,  the 
American  form  is  entered  as  a  variety  in  "hot-houses";  apparently 
adventitious;  it  is  indeed  related  to  the  European  form  but  is  a  geo- 
graphic species. 

9.    Cribraria  piriformis  Schrader. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  9 ;  Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  9. 

1797.     Cribraria  piriformis  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  4. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  small,  .3-.5  mm.,  turbinate  or  globose,  erect, 
purplish  brown,  stipitate ;  stipe  comparatively  short,  tapering  upward, 
longitudinally  furrowed,  purple  or  brown ;  calyculus  very  well  de- 
fined, about  one-third  the  sporangium,  not  ribbed,  flattened  or  even 
umbilicate  below,  the  margin  plainly  denticulate,  dusky  brown;  the 
net  simple,   the  meshes  large,   triangular,   with   few   free  ends;  the 


CRIBRARIA  225 

nodules  small,  globose  or  undifferentiated,  slightly  convex  or  flat; 
spore  mass  dull,  yellowish  brown;  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale 
ochraceous  or  salmon-tinted,  nearly  smooth,  5-6  fx. 

Schrader  defined  this  beautiful  form  chiefly  by  its  shape.  This, 
though  variable,  is  j'et  generally  so  far  pyriform  as  to  show  distinct 
contraction  toward  the  stipe.  The  well-defined  calyculus  is  narrow- 
ed below  and  eroded  or  denticulate  above.  The  cyanic  tints  due  to 
the  presence  on  the  calyculus  of  radiating  lines  of  purplish  granules 
about  one-half  the  size  of  the  spores,  the  net  open,  uniform,  the  stipe 
rather  stout,  short,  and  distinctly  furrowed,  rising  often  from  a  small 
hypothallus — these  are  marks  of  this  species.  The  net  suggests  C. 
tcnella,  but  the  latter  species  is  much  smaller,  has  a  different  stem, 
much  longer  and  unfurrowed.  The  cup  here  is  more  nearly  that  of 
some  form  of  C.  intricata,  but  is  better  defined,  passing  into  the  net 
very  abruptly  by  the  simple  intervention  of  projecting  teeth. 

Apparently  rare.  Our  specimens  are  from  New  York,  through 
the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Rex,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  Iowa,  Oregon, 
Colorado,  and  represent,  as  usual  a  modification  of  the  European 
type,  C.  notabilis  Rex.  Miss  Lister,  Mon.,  2nd  ed.,  writes  var. 
notabilis. 

Colorado  forms  are  remarkable  for  dense  brown  coloration. 

10.  Cribraria  tenella  Schrader. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  5. 
1797.     Cribraria  tenella  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  6. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  small,  .3-.5  mm.  in  diameter  or  smaller, 
olivaceous  or  ochraceous,  long-stipitate,  nodding;  stipe  slender,  dark 
brown  or  blackish,  very  long,  reaching  6  mm.,  weak  and  flexuous; 
calyculus  variable,  sometimes  well  defined,  brown,  costate,  sometimes 
represented  by  the  costae  only  connected  by  a  thin,  transparent  mem- 
brane ;  net  well  differentiated,  the  meshes  small,  irregular,  the  nodes 
small,  black,  more  or  less  globular,  prominent,  connected  by  trans- 
parent threads  with  occasional  or  a  few  free  ends;  spores  in  mass, 
olivaceous-ochraceous,  under  the  lens  pallid,  globose,  smooth,  5-7  fi. 

Very  common  eastward  and  south,  on  the  weathered  surface  of 
rotten  wood.     Generally  easily   recognized   by   its   very   long  stipe, 

16 


226  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

small,  globose  sporangium  dotted  with  numerous  small  roundish 
nodules  projecting  plainly  above  the  general  surface.  The  obconic 
calyculus  is  always  represented  in  the  outline  if  not  in  definite  struc- 
ture. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Tennessee,  Illinois, 
Missouri,  Iowa,  Canada;  Toronto, — Miss  Currie. 

11.  Cribraria  microCARPA  (Schrad.)  Persoon. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  4. 

1797.  Dictydium  microcarpum  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  13. 

1801.  Cribraria  microcarpa  Schrad.,  Pers.,  Syn.,  p.  190. 

1875.  Cribraria  microcarpa    (Schrad.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  235. 

1892.  Cribraria  microcarpa  Schrad.,  Massee,  Mon.,  p.  63. 

1893.  Cribraria  microcarpa  Schrad.,  Morg.,  Myx.  Mi.  Vail.,  p.  15. 
1899.  Cribraria  microcarpa  Schrad.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  168. 

1911.     Cribraria  microcarpa  Pers.,  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p.  183  (?). 

Sporangia  loosely  gregarious,  very  small,  .2-.3  mm.  in  diameter, 
yellow  ochraceous,  stipitate,  nodding;  stipe  comparatively  stout,  dark 
brown  or  blackish,  tapering  upward,  often  twisted  at  the  apex  as  in 
D.  cancellatum;  calyculus  none,  represented  by  simple  ribs  which 
give  off  at  intervals  free  or  floating  branchlets  before  blending  into 
the  common  net;  net  well  developed,  the  meshes  large,  the  nodes 
small,  irregular,  though  often  rounded  and  prominent,  black,  con- 
nected by  delicate  transparent  threads,  with  free  ends  few  or  none; 
spore-mass  yellow,  fading  to  ochraceous ;  spores  pale,  smooth,  globose, 
6-7  II. 

This  species  resembles  at  first  sight  the  preceding,  and  has  been 
often  mistaken  for  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  distinctions  are  gener- 
ally very  sharp.  In  the  first  place,  the  sporangia,  when  carefully 
measured,  are  seen  to  be  not  more  than  half  as  great  in  diameter; 
the  meshes  of  the  net,  on  the  other  hand,  are  much  wider,  the  whole 
structure  more  compact.  The  nodules  are  like  those  of  tenella, 
but  are  much  fewer.  The  stipe  is  shorter,  the  cup  wanting,  and  the 
costae  are  few  and  simple.  The  color  suggests  C.  aurantiaca.  The 
habitat  and  distribution  as  C.  tenella. 

To  anyone  who  will  read  the  account  of  the  species  as  given  by 
the  English  Mon.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  183,  it  is  immediately  apparent  that 


CRIBRARIA  227 

the  author  has  in  mind  a  different  form  from  that  seen  and  described 
in  our  territory  and  previously  noted  by  the  authors  of  Europe, 
These  from  Schrader  down,  agree  in  portraying  a  brunescent  form 
with  yellow  spores;  Mr.  Lister  enters  it  with  the  cyanic  series  and 
so  describes  and  figures  it  throughout.  Schrader  figures  a  nut-brown 
species;  Rostafinski  uses  that  descriptive  term  in  connection  with  the 
general  appearance  when  fresh,  but  gives  the  spore-mass  yellow; 
only  in  the  stipe  does  he  find  another  tint,  nut-brown-purple.  The 
figure,  145  in  the  Monograph  now  before  us  portrays,  except  in  color, 
our  C  tenella  exactly.  Dr.  Rex,  Bot.  Gaz.,  XIX.,  398,  compares 
the  present  species  with  C.  minutissima,  and  C.  tenella  with  C. 
dictydioides;  which  is  correct  for  the  American  presentation  of  the 
species  named.  C.  dictydioides  is  certainly  our  presentation  of  C. 
intricata,  a  geographic  species  at  the  least ;  but  if  C.  microcarpa  is 
purple  we  have  of  it  no  representation ;  our  forms  under  that  name 
are  closely  related  to  C  tenella,  a  yellow-spored  species,  and  might 
perhaps  be  there  referred ;  have,  however,  somewhat  larger  spores. 

12.  Cribraria  violacea  Rex. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  8. 
1891.     Cribraria  violacea  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.   393. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  very  small,  .2  mm.  in  diameter, 
violet  tinted,  erect,  stipitate  short,  about  one-half  the  total  height, 
concolorous,  slender,  tapering  upward ;  calyculus  crateriform,  per- 
sistent, or  marked  with  minute  plasmodic  granules;  the  net  rudi- 
mentary or  poorly  developed,  the  meshes  large,  irregular,  the  nodules 
also  large  triangular,  violaceous ;  spores  pale  violet  in  mass,  by  trans- 
mitted light  reddish,  7-8  fx,  minutely  warted. 

A  very  minute  but  well-marked  species  discovered  by  Dr.  Rex 
in  Wissahickon  Park,  near  Philadelphia,  otherwise  very  rare.  Lister, 
however,  reports  it  from  England.  In  minuteness  to  be  compared 
with  C.  minutissima,  from  which  its  color  instantly  distinguishes 
it.  Dr.  Rex  reports  the  Plasmodium  as  "violet  black."  All  our 
specimens  are  on  very  rotten  wood,  basswood,  Tilia  americana. 

Pennsylvania,  Illinois,  Iowa. 


228  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

13.  Cribraria  purpurea  Schrad. 

1797.     Cribraria  purpurea  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  8. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  large,  1  mm.  in  diameter,  dark  purple,  erect, 
stipitate,  depressed-globose;  stipe  concolorous,  furrowed,  about  twice 
the  diameter  of  the  sporangium  in  length,  with  a  distinct  hypothallus ; 
calyculus  persistent,  less  than  half  the  sporangium,  obscurely  ribbed, 
marked  by  concentric  plications,  the  margin  toothed ;  the  net  poorly 
differentiated,  the  meshes  irregular  in  form  and  size,  as  are  also  the 
flat,  unthickened  nodes,  the  threads  pale,  free  ends  short  and  not 
numerous;  spore-mass  purple;  spores  by  transmitted  light,  pale  or 
colorless,  5-6,  /x,  smooth. 

Rare.     Found  on  rotten  coniferous  wood  in  deep  forests.     Easily 

recognized  by  its  large  size  and  uniform  purple  color.     To  the  next 

species  it  offers  a  general  resemblance,  but  has  larger  sporangia  and 

an  entirely  different  net.    The  Plasmodium  just  before  the  formation 

of  the  fruit  is  scarlet.  ' 

I 
Maine,    New   York,    Pennsylvania,    Ontario,    Oregon,    Colorado. 

14.  Cribraria  elegans  Berk.  &  C. 

1873.     Cribraria  elegans  Berk.  &  Curt.,  Grev.,  II.,  p.  67. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  erect  or  nodding,  small,  .4— .5  mm.,  bright 
purple,  stipitate;  stipe  long,  slender,  tapering  upward,  almost  black, 
arising  from  a  scanty  hypothallus;  calyculus  about  half  the  sporan- 
gium, finely  ribbed,  covered  especially  above  with  small  purple  gran- 
ules, the  margin  toothed  or  perforate ;  net  well  developed,  the  meshes 
small,  polygonal,  the  threads  delicate,  colorless,  with  many  free  ends, 
the  nodules  dark-colored,  numerous  and  somewhat  prominent;  spore- 
mass  pale  purple;  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  violaceous,  smooth, 
6-6.5  II. 

To  be  compared  with  the  preceding.  The  small-meshed  net  with 
well-defined,  dark-colored  nodules  is  distinctive,  aside  from  the  fact 
of  the  much  smaller  sporangia.  The  stipe  is  also  different,  more 
slender,  smooth,  and  dark-colored.  The  habitat  of  the  two  species 
appears  to  be  the  same.  The  present  species  is  much  more  common, 
ranges  farther  west,  and  is  to  be  looked  for  on  the  Pacific  coast. 


CRIBRARIA  229 

New  York,  Pennsylvania,  South  Carolina,  Missouri,  Iowa;  Black 
Hills,   South  Dakota. 

15.  Cribraria  languescens  Rex. 

1891.     Cribraria  languescens  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  394. 

Sporangia  scattered,  very  minute,  .25-35  mm.,  spherical,  long- 
stipitate,  drooping;  stipe  2.5-3  mm.,  slender,  flexuous,  subulate,  rugu- 
lose ;  calyculus  about  one-third  the  sporangium,  reddish  brown,  shin- 
ing, minutely  striate  with  granular  lines,  the  margin  more  or  less 
regularly  serrate;  net  reddish  brown,  the  meshes  triangular  and  the 
threads  simple,  the  nodes  large,  polygonal,  flat,  but  well  differen- 
tiated ;  the  spores  when  fresh  dull  red  in  mass,  paling  with  age ;  by 
transmitted  light  colorless,  6  /x,  smooth. 

A  very  singular  species,  easily  recognizable  by  its  long,  slender 
stipes,  terminating  in  exceedingly  small  spherical  sporangia.  The 
colors  are  obscure,  but  the  striations  on  the  calyculus  are  violet- 
tinted,  and  the  reds  perhaps  predominate  elsewhere.  "In  its  scattered 
and  solitary  growth,  its  tall,  slender  stipes,  and  relaxed  habit  it  re- 
sembles C.  microcarpa,  in  its  network  it  approaches  C.  tenella,  and  its 
spores  have  the  color  of  the  paler  form  of  C.  purpurea."  So  Dr.  Rex, 
/.  c.  Western  forms  of  the  first-named  species  have  much  shorter 
stipes;  the  network  in  the  specimens  before  us  is  unlike  that  of  C. 
tenella,  but  resembles  that  of  C.  purpurea. 

Rare,  on  very  rotten  wood,  in  the  forest.  New  York,  Ohio,  South 
Carolina,  Ontario. 

16.  Cribraria  cuprea  Morgan. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  7. 

1893.     Cribraria  cuprea  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  16. 

Sporangium  very  small,  .33  mm.,  oval  or  somewhat  obvoid,  copper- 
colored,  stipitate,  nodding;  stipe  concolorous  or  darker  below,  subu- 
late, curved  at  the  apex,  2-4  times  the  sporangium;  calyculus  about 
one-half  the  sporangium,  finely  ribbed  and  granulose  within,  the 
margin  nearly  even ;  the  net  rather  rudimentary,  the  meshes  large, 
triangular  or  quadrilateral,  the  nodules  also  large,  flat,  concolorous, 
the  threads  slender,  transparent,  with  free  ends  few;  spores  in  mass 
copper-colored,  by  transmitted  light  colorless,  smooth,  6-7  /*. 


230  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Recognizable  by  its  small  size  and  peculiar  color,  that  of  bright 
copper,  although  this  fades  somewhat  with  age,  and  the  metallic  tints 
are  then  lacking.  Related  to  the  preceding  and  in  specimens  having 
globular  sporangia  closely  resembling  it ;  but  the  ground  color  in  C. 
languescens  is  always  darker,  and  the  stipe  proportionally  much 
longer.  In  habit  the  sporangia  are  widely  scattered,  much  more 
than  is  common  in  the  species  of  this  genus.  Miss  Lister,  2nd  ed. 
regards  this  as  a  var.  of  No.  15. 

Comparatively  rare.  Before  us  is  one  very  small  colony  of  sporan- 
gia from  Iowa,  one  from  Ohio,  and  a  large  number  from  Missouri. 
If  one  may  judge  from  the  material  at  hand,  the  favorite  habitat  is 
very  rotten  basswood,  Tilia  americana. 

2.      Dictydium    (Schrad.)   Rost. 

Sporangia  distinct,  gregarious,  globose  or  depressed-globose,  stipi- 
tate,  cernuous;  the  peridium  very  delicate,  evanescent,  thickened  on 
the  inside  by  numerous  meridional  costae  which  are  joined  at  fre- 
quent intervals  by  fine  transverse  threads  more  or  less  parallel  to 
each  other,  forming  a  persistent  network  of  rectangular  meshes. 

The  ribs  or  costae  of  the  spore-case  radiate  from  the  top  of  the  stipe 
and  unite  again  at  the  top  of  the  sporangium  in  a  feeble,  irregular 
net.  Schrader,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  11,  1797,  applied  the  name  Dic- 
tydium to  all  Cribraria-like  species  in  which  the  calyculus  was  want- 
ing. Fries  follows  this,  Syst,  Myc,  III.,  p.  164.  Rostafinski,  Ver- 
suchj  p.  5,  Mon.,  p.  229,  first  correctly  limits  the  genus  and  sepa- 
rates it  from  Cribraria.     1873-75. 

A  single  species  is  ^videly  distributed  throughout  the  world, — 

1.     Dictydium  cancellatum  {Batsch)  Macbr. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  6,  6  a  and  Plate  XIX.,  Figs.  \,  \a,  \h,  \  c,  2,  3. 

1789.  Mucor  cancellatus  Batsch,   Elench.  Fung.,  II.,   p.   131. 

1797.  Dictydium  umhilicatum  Schrad.,  Nov.  Gen.  PL,  p.  11, 

1801.  Cribraria  cernua  Pers.,  Syn.,  p.   189. 

1816.  Dictydium  cernuum  Nees,  Syst.  d.  Pilz.,  p.  117. 

1875.  Dictydium  cernuum   (Pers.)   Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  229. 

1893.  Dictydium  longipes  Morg.,  Cin.  Soc.  Jour.,  p.  17,  in  part. 

Sporangia    gregarious,    depressed    globose,    nodding,    the    apex    at 


DICTYDJUM  231 

length  umbilicate,  stipitate,  in  color  brown,  or  brownish  purple; 
the  stipe  varying  much  in  length  from  two  to  ten  times  the  diameter 
of  the  sporangium,  attaining  5-6  mm.,  generally  erect,  more  or  less 
twisted  and  pallid  at  the  apex,  below  dark  brown,  with  hypothallus 
small  or  none;  calyculus  often  wanting,  when  present  a  mere  film 
connecting  the  ribs  of  the  net ;  the  net  made  up  chiefly  of  meridional 
ribs  connected  at  intervals  by  transverse  parallel  threads,  above  an 
open  Cribraria-Uke  network  closing  the  apex  and  more  or  less  rudi- 
mentary ;  the  spores  varying  in  color  through  all  shades  of  brown  and 
purple  when  seen  in  mass,  by  transmitted  light  reddish,  5-7  fi,  smooth 
or  nearly  so. 

This  species  in  the  United  States  is  one  of  the  most  variable  in 
the  whole  group.  The  extremes  of  such  variation  might  easily  con- 
stitute types  for  several  distinct  species  were  it  not  that  in  all  direc- 
tions the  varieties  shade  into  each  other  so  completely  as  to  defy 
definition.  We  have  before  us  specimens  purple  throughout  and  short- 
stemmed  ;  purple  with  stem  long,  pale  and  twisted  at  apex ;  brown, 
with  the  same  variations;  short-stemmed,  with  the  apex  of  the  stem 
pallid,  and  long-stemmed,  with  and  without  the  same  peculiarity. 
Morgan  (Cin.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  Jour.,  1893)  would  set  ofif  the  purple, 
long-stemmed  forms  as  D.  longipes,  "stipe  three  to  five  times  the 
sporangium,"  but  here  are  forms  in  which  the  stem  is  ten  times  the 
diameter  of  the  sporangium,  which  yet  possess  in  all  other  particulars 
the  characters  of  the  short-stemmed  forms.  European  forms  also  vary. 
Massee  figures  one  type ;  Lister,  one  or  two  others ;  Rostafinski's 
figure  indicates  a  taller  form;  Fries  says,  "Stipes  elongatus,  peridio 
quinquies  et  ultra  longior."  It  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  variation  is  largely  due  to  atmospheric  conditions  at  the  time  of 
fruiting.  The  purple  forms  may  be  cases  of  arrested  development, 
since  the  plasmodium  appears  to  be  in  all  cases  purple,  or  at  least 
they  seem  to  represent  those  plasmodia  which  have  failed  of  normal 
ripening.  We  may  recognize  two  or  three  general  types,  distingin'shed 
primarily  by  color: — 

a.  D.  cancellatum  cancellatum. — Sporangia  clear  brown  or  with 
only  a  purplish  tinge,  the  stipe  tapering  upward,  and  in  ex- 
treme cases  perfectly  white  at  the  twisted  apex.  The  stipe  in  length 
ranges  from  three  to  ten  times  the  diameter  of  the  sporangium.     The 


232  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

reticulations  of  the  net  are  generally  small  and  the  ribs  numerous. 
This  is  the  most  highly  differentiated,  finished  type  of  the  species. 

b.  D.  cancellatum  purpureum. — Sporangium  dark,  the  purple 
tints  predominating,  the  stipe  tapering  upward,  more  or  less  twisted 
at  the  paler,  sometimes  almost  colorless,  apex.  The  stipe  ranges  a 
little  shorter  than  in  the  preceding  variety,  three  to  seven  times  the 
sporangium.  The  reticulations  of  the  net  are  often  coarse,  the  ribs 
being  fewer ;  the  whole  structure  weak  and  showing  signs  of  im- 
perfect development. 

The  figures,  \,  \  a,  \  b,  \  c,  I.  c,  illustrate  the  ideal  accomplish- 
ment in  form  (a).  The  color  is  a  clear  definite  brown  with  no  sug- 
gestion of  purple  any^vhere.  The  stipes  are  three  or  four  times  the 
diameter  of  the  sporangium,  brown  below,  white  above,  and  twisted 
to  allow  the  sporangium  to  hang  inverted.  This  is  complete  in  every 
part;  a  definite  bell-shaped  calyx,  widening  into  the  cancellate  re- 
ceptacle, the  margin  constricted,  and  closed  at  last  by  the  apical  net, 
cribrum,  sign  of  the  order. 

In  form  (b),  the  structure  is  similar  but  by  no  means  so  sym- 
metrical and  complete.  The  calyx  often  fails,  or  is  present  by  ob- 
scure indications  only.  The  cancellation  is  coarser,  the  number  of 
ribs  fewer,  the  whole  sporangmm  more  or  less  globose ;  ferruginous 
or  purple,  the  prevailing  tint.  Figs,  on  PI.  I.  are  from  the  ferru- 
ginous type. 

Figure  3  represents  a  beautiful  thing;  cup-less,  ellipsoidal,  delicate, 
of  average  size  and  in  every  way  well-proportioned,  clear  rosy  brown 
in  color. 

This  may  stand  for  a  third  variety;  (c)  D.  cancellatum  prolatum. 

Common  everywhere.  The  fruit  appears  in  June  on  decaying 
logs  and  stumps  of  various  species  of  deciduous  trees,  conifers,  etc., 
the  finest,  and  greatest  variety,  are  from  southern  Missouri. 

Order  IV 

LYCOGALALES 

Fructification  aethalioid ;  peridium  membranaceous,  tough,  simple, 
without  vesiculose  with  protoplasmic  masses,  within  gelatinous;  the 


LYCOGALALES  233 

capillitium  of  cortical  origin,  consisting  of  irregular  lobate  or  branch- 
ing tubules,  varying  much  in  width,  and  marked  by  numerous  cor- 
rugations, irregular  warts  or  bands;  spores  minute,  ashen  or  pallid. 
This  order  includes  but  a  single  genus, — 

Lycogala   Micheh. 

1729.     Lycogala  Micheli,   Nov.  Plant.   Gen.,  pp.   216,  217. 

1753.     Lycoperdon  Linn.  Syst.  Nat.,  in  part. 

1794.     Lycogala  Persoon,  Romer,  N.  Bat.  Mag.,  p.  87. 

Micheli's  description  and  figures,  Nov.  Plant.  Gen.,  pp.  216,  217, 
Tab.  95,  leave  no  doubt  but  that  this  illustrious  man  had  species 
of  Lycogala  before  him  when  he  described  the  genus.  His  figure 
1,  no  doubt  portrays  the  second  species  in  our  present  list.  More 
recent  writers,  from  Persoon  down,  have  used  Micheli's  designa- 
tion, but  differed  in  regard  to  the  limits  to  which  the  name  should 
be  applied.  It  is  here  used  substantially  as  in  1729.  Fries  and, 
after  him,  Rostafinski  make  a  mistake  in  quoting  Retzius  as  writing 
Lycogala  (1769).  Retzius  wrote  Lycoperdon  sessile;  Kongl.  Veten- 
skaps  Acad.  Handling,  for  Ar  1769,  p.  254. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Lycogala 

A.    iEthalia  irregularly  globose. 

a.  Cortex     minutely     roughened     or     warted ;     about     12     mm.     in 

diameter 1.    L.    epidendrum 

b.  Cortex  smooth,  size  large       .         .         .         .       2.  L.  flavo-fuscum 

c.  Cortex    rough ;    diameter   6   mm.   or   less       .     .        3.   L.    exiguum 
B.     ^thalia  conical 4.     L.  conicum 

1.     Lycogala  epidendrum  (Buxb.)  Fries. 

1721.     Lycoperdon   epidendron,  etc.,  Buxb.,  En.  PI.  Hal,  p.  203. 

1753.     Lycoperdon  epidendrum  Linn.,  Sp.  PL,  p.   1184. 

1829.     Lycogala  epidendrum   (Buxb.)   Fries,  Syst.  Myc.  IIL,  p.  80. 

^thalia  solitary  or  clustered,  depressed  spherical,  or,  when  crowd- 
ed, irregular,  olivaceous  or  blackish,  minutely  warted,  3-10  mm.  in 
diameter,  dehiscing  irregularly,  but  more  often  near  the  apex ;  perid- 
ium  thin,  but  tough  and  persistent,  made  up  of  numerous  agglutin- 
ated tubules  enclosing  in  their  meshes  peculiar  cell-like  vesicles;  cap- 
illitium  parietal,    consisting   of   long,    branching,    and    anastomosing 


234  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

flattened  tubules  extended  inwardly  among  the  spores,  everywhere 
marked  by  transverse  wrinkles,  ridges,  and  warts,  the  free  ends  of  the 
ultimate  branchlets  rounded,  concolorous  with  the  spores;  spore- 
mass,  when  fresh,  rosy,  or  ashen  with  a  rosaceous  or  purplish  tinge, 
becoming  with  age  sordid  or  ochraceous,  spores  by  transmitted  light 
colorless,  minutely  roughened  or  reticulate,  5-6  p.. 

This  is  not  only  a  cosmopolitan  species,  but  is  no  doubt  the  most 
common  slime-mould  in  the  world.  Found  everywhere  on  decaying 
wood  of  all  sorts,  more  particularly  on  that  of  deciduous  trees.  It 
has  likewise  been  long  the  subject  of  observation.  It  is  doubtless  the 
"Fungus  coccineus"  of  Ray,  1690,  and  the  type  of  Micheli's  genus  as 
here,  1729.  The  diflferent  colors  assumed,  from  the  rich  scarlet  of 
the  emerging  Plasmodium  to  the  glistening  bronze  of  the  newly 
formed  aethalium,  have  suggested  various  descriptive  names, —  as  L. 
miniata  Pers,,  L.  chalyheum  of  Batsch,  and  L.  plumbea  Schum,  The 
peridium  is  by  authors  described  as  double.  This  is  for  description 
only.  In  structure  the  outer  and  inner  peridium  completely  blend. 
The  outer  is  predominately  vesiculose,  the  inner  more  gelatinous. 
For  discussion  of  the  microscopic  structure  see  under  the  next  species. 

Common.  New  England,  west  to  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  Col- 
orado, Washington,  Oregon,  California;  Alberta  to  Nicaragua. 

Lycogala  terrestre  Fr,,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  83,  appears  to  be  a  variety 
of  the  present  species.  In  spores  and  capillitial  thread  the  forms  are 
indistinguishable ;  the  difference  is  a  matter  of  size,  and  to  some 
extent,  of  the  color  of  the  wall.  The  specimens  are  a  little  larger, 
depressed  and  angular.  The  peridium  is  paler,  smoother,  though 
sometimes  almost  black,  thin,  ruptured  irregularly.  But  the  form 
and  color  of  the  peridium  in  the  sporocarps  of  the  older  species  vary 
much  in  response  to  external  conditions ;  on  a  substratum  allfording 
scant  nutrition  the  forms  of  fructification  are  minute;  and  in  all 
cases,  if  maturity  be  hastened,  the  peridium  responds  in  darker  colors. 
Under  more  favorable  conditions  the  wall  is  smoother  and  brighter. 

2.    Lycogala  flavo-fuscum  (Ehr.)  Rost. 

1818,     Diphtherium  flavo-fuscum  Ehr.,  Syl.  Myc.  Berol,  p.  27. 
1829,     Reticularia  flavo-fusca   (Ehr,)    Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III,,  p,  88, 
1873.     Lycogala  flavo-fuscum    (Ehr.)    Rost.,   Versuch,  p.   3. 


LYCOGALALES  235 

i^thalia  solitary  or  sometimes  two  or  three  together,  large  2-4  cm. 
in  diameter,  spherical  or  spheroidal,  purplish-gray  or  brown,  smooth, 
shining ;  the  peridium  thick,  simple  but  in  microscopic  section  showing 
two  or  three  successive  layers;  capillitium  of  abundantly  branching, 
irregular,  transparent  tubules,  marked  by  numberless  warts  and 
transverse  rings  or  wrinkles,  spores  in  mass  yellowish  gray,  by  trans- 
mitted light,  colorless,  smooth  or  only  faintly  reticulate  or  rough- 
ened, 5-6  yu.. 

This,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  striking  of  the  slime-moulds, 
is  by  students  generally  mistaken  for  a  puff-ball.  It  occurs  on  stumps 
and  rotten  logs  of  various  sorts  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  more  often 
affecting  stumps  of  Acer  saccharinum  L.  The  fructification,  when 
solitary,  about  the  size  of  a  walnut,  though  sometimes  larger;  when 
clustered,  the  individuals  arc  smaller.  The  form  depends  largely 
upon  the  place  in  which  the  fruit  is  formed.  The  plasmodic  mass  is 
so  large  that  its  form  is  determined  by  gravity.  Thus  on  the  lower 
surface  of  a  log  raised  a  little  distance  from  the  earth  the  asthalium 
is  often  pyriform.  This  fact  did  not  escape  Micheli.  See  Nov.  Plant. 
Gen.,  Tab.  95.  The  Plasmodium  is  pale  pink,  soon  becomes  buff 
when  exposed  in  fruiting,  finally  pallid  or  somewhat  livid,  and  is  out- 
wardly changed  into  the  stout,  tough  peridium.  This  consists  of  an 
intricate  network  of  irregular  gelatinous  tubules  enclosing  within 
the  meshes  protoplasmic  masses  of  pretty  uniform  size,  60—100  ju,. 
Outwardly  the  protoplasmic  vesicles  predominate;  inwardly  the  gela- 
tinous tubules,  which  arc,  in  some  instances  at  least,  continued  to- 
ward the  centre  of  fructification  to  form  the  capillitium.  The 
protoplasmic  masses  referred  to  respond  to  ordinary  stains,  are  often 
broken  into  numberless  small  cells  corresponding  in  size  and  appear- 
ance to  ordinary  spores. 

Not  common.  New  England,  Ohio,  Iowa.  Perhaps  more  abun- 
dant in  the  Mississippi  valley;  Canada. 

3.    Lycogala  exiguum  Morg. 
1893.     Lycogala  exiguum  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  8. 
y^thalia  small,  2-5   mm.   in    diameter,   gregarious,   globose,    dark 
brown   or   black,   sessile,   minutely  scaly,   irregularly   dehiscent;  the 


236  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

peridium  thin,  the  vesicles  comparatively  few,  in  irregular  patches 
which  are  more  or  less  confluent ;  capillitium  as  in  preceding  species, 
the  tubules  slender  and  branching ;  spore-mass  pale,  ochraceous,  spores 
by  transmitted  light  colorless,  almost  smooth,  5-6  fi. 

Found  in  the  same  situations  as  No.  1,  and  at  the  same  season. 
Recognizable  by  its  gregarious  habit,  not  crowded  nor  superimposed, 
small  size,  and  dusky  color.  The  little  spheres  occur  a  dozen  or 
more  in  a  place,  dark  lead-colored,  shading  to  black,  opening  rather 
regularly  at  the  top.  It  looks  like  a  depauperate  L.  epidendrum, 
but  seems  to  be  constantly  collected. 

Our  specimens  are  from  Ohio,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Canada. 

4.    Lycogala  conicum  Pers. 

1801.     Lycogala  conica  Pers.,  Syn.  Fung.,  p.  159. 

1875.     Dermodium  conicum   (Pers.)   Rost.,  Man.,  p.  284. 

i^thalia  scattered,  sometimes  two  or  three  together,  small  2-4,  mm. 
high,  conical,  sessile,  pallid,  grayish  brown,  marked  by  obscure  black 
reticulations,  opening  regularly  at  the  somewhat  acuminate  tip ;  perid- 
ium thin  in  structure,  as  in  L.  epidendrum,  but  more  delicate ;  cap- 
illitium made  up  of  abundant,  slender,  uniform  threads  almost  smooth, 
simple,  the  free  ends  obtuse,  taking  origin  in  the  cortex  much  as  in 
the  preceding  species;  spores  in  mass  ochraceous,  by  transmitted 
light  colorless,  minutely  warted  or  faintly  reticulate,  about  5  /x. 

A  very  distinct  and  rare  little  species.  Well  described  by  Persoon, 
who  also  appears  to  have  observed  the  Plasmodium  "primo  rubra." 
The  color  of  the  mature  form  varies  with  age;  at  first  somewhat 
purplish.  Dr.  Rex  collected  it  in  Pennsylvania;  Mr.  Morgan  has  it 
from  Ohio;  our  specimens  are  from  southeastern  Missouri. 

Order  V 
TRICHIALES 

Fructification  sporangial,  rarely  plasmodiocarpous,  the  sporangia 
stalked  or  sessile,  gregarious  or  closely  crowded,  limeless  throughout; 
the  capillitium  of  definite  threads,  free  or  attached  to  the  sporan- 
gial wall,  isolated  or  combined  into  a  net;  spores  generally  some 
shade  of  yellow,  never  purple  or  black. 


T  RICH  I  ALES  237 

The  distinguishing  feature  in  this  order  is  found  in  the  peculiar 
sculpture  of  the  capillitial  threads.  This  is  suggested  by  the  tubules 
of  Lycogala,  though  probably  the  resemblance  is  superficial  only. 
The  individual  threads,  as  in  Trichia,  are  called  elaters,  from  their 
probable  efficiency  in  spore-dispersal. 

As  here  limited,  the  order  is  coextensive  with  the  Calonemeae 
of  Rostafinski,  except  that  that  includes  in  addition  the  genera  Proto- 
trichin  and  Dianema.  The  course  of  differentiation  may  be  assumed 
to  start  with  Dianema,  through  the  Perichaeiinceae  to  the  Arcyriaceae 
and  again  from  the  same  starting-point  through  Prototrichia  to  the 
T  r  ic  Iliac  ae. 

Key  to  the  Families   of   the   Trichiales 

A.     Capillitial  threads  transverse  to  the  sporangial  cavity,  attached  usually 
at  each  end,  plain  or  only  slightly  roughened       .         .       Dianemaceae 

B.  Capillitium  plain,  papillose,  or  spinulose,  often  scanty,  not  netted,  the 

threads  sometimes  attached  by  one  end  to  the  sporangium  wall, 

Perichaenaceae 

C.  Capillitium   a   distinct   net,   usually   attached   below   to   the   sporangial 

wall ;   sculpture  various,  not  continuous  spiral   bands        Arcyriaceae 

D.  Capillitial    threads    transverse,    fascicled,    attached    at    both    ends,    but 

sculptured   by   well    defined    spiral    bands        .         .        Prototrichiaceae 

E.  Capillitial    threads    typically    free,    sometimes    more    or   less   branched, 

forming  a  loose  net  attached  below,  characterized  by  definite  spiral 
bands,    or   sometimes   by   scattered    rings  .         .  Trichiaceae 

A.    DIANEMACEyE 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Dianemaceae 

A.  Capillitial  threads  attached  at  one  end,  or  free       .         1.     Margarita 

B.  Capillitial  threads  attached  at  each  end       ...        2.     Dianema 

1.      Margarita  List. 
1894.     Margarita  Lister,  Mycet.,  p.  203. 
Sporangia  sessile,  the  capillitium  simple,  hair-like,  coiled. 

1.     Margarita  metallica  {Berk.  &  Br.)  List. 

Plate  XVII.,  Figs. 

1838.     Physarum  metalHcum  Berk.  &  Br.,  Mag.  Zool.  &  Bot.,  I.,  p,  49. 
Sporangia  scattered  or  clustered,  globose,  or  somewhat  plasmodio- 
carpous,  .5-1  mm.,  sessile,  coppery  iridescent,  the  peridium  thin,  open- 


238  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

ing  above  irregularly;  capillitium  of  long  flexuous,  coiling,  simple  or 
little  dividing  threads,  nearly  smooth,  with  infrequent  attachments  to 
the  peridial  wall ;  spores  in  mass  yellowish,  transparent  under  the 
lens,  delicately  verruculose,  10-12  /x. 

One  of  the  handsomer  species  of  the  present  group.  So  far  a 
Pacific  coast  form.  California,  Oregon,  Washington ;  reported  from 
Chile. 

Dianema  Rex 

1891.     Dianema  harveyi  Rex,  Proc.  P/iil.  Acad.,  p.  397. 

Sporangia  simple  or  plasmodiocarpous;  capillitium  composed  of 
threads  without  characteristic  thickenings  running  entirely  across  the 
sporangium  attached  both  to  the  base  and  to  the  opposite  wall,  not 
joined  to  form  a  network. 

Key  to   Species   of   Dianema 

A.  Sporangia  distinct,  iridescent I.     D.  harveyi 

B.  Fructification  more  or  less  plasmodiocarpous,  dull   brown 

2.     D.   corticatum 

C.  Sporangia,    some    of    them    stipitate        .        .        .        3.    D.    andersoni 

1.    Dianema  harveyi  Rex. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  5  and  5  b. 
1891.     Dianema  harveyi  Rex,  Proc.  PhiL  Acad.,  p.  397. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  generally  rounded  or  cushion-shaped,  de- 
pressed, sessile,  iridescent  bronze,  1  mm.  in  diameter;  peridium  thin, 
translucent,  opening  irregularly;  capillitium  of  simple  threads,  not 
netted,  but  often  forked  two  or  three  times,  taut,  running  from  base 
to  top;  spores  yellow,  by  transmitted  light  pale  yellowish,  minutely 
roughened,  8-10  p.. 

This  interesting  species  was  collected  in  Orono,  Maine,  in  1889, 
by  Professor  F.  L.  Harvey,  and  so  far  as  can  be  learned  has  not 
been  taken  since.  Mr.  Lister  records  two  species  from  England  which 
he  refers  to  this  genus.  As  to  its  systematic  place,  Dr.  Rex  says,  /.  c. 
"It  stands  as  a  single  representative  of  a  new  and  separate  family 
adjoining  the  Perichaenacae  in  the  order  Calonemeae  of  Rosta- 
finski." 

Rare.      Maine. 


DIANEMA  239 

2.  DiANEMA    CORTICATUM    List. 

Plate  XVI.,  Figs.  S  a,  S  c. 
1894.     Dianema  corticatum  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  205. 

"Plasmodium  pink";  sporangia  sometimes  flat-hemispheric,  more 
often  ill-defined,  united  in  irregular,  depressed,  netted  plasmodio- 
carps,  generally  dull  brown ;  peridium  opaque,  didermatous,  capilli- 
tium  of  simple  or  rarely  branching  filaments,  variously  beaded  or 
marked  with  spiral  bands,  lightly  attached  at  either  end,  occasionally 
twisted  together;  spore-mass  dull  brown,  the  spores  in  clusters  of 
four  or  more,  colorless  by  transmitted  light,  more  or  less  verruculose, 
ellipsoidal,  about  8-10  /m. 

Our  specimens  are  from  the  mountains  of  Alberta. 

A  curious,  flat  plasmodiocarp,  an  inch  or  more  in  length.  It  sug- 
gests Hemitrichia  serpula  prematurely  dry. 

3.  Dianema  andersoni,  Morg. 

Dianema  andersoni,  Morg.     MS.,  non.  pub. 

Sporangium  globose,  sessile  or  substipitate,  seated  on  a  thin  brown- 
ish hypothallus ;  the  wall  a  thin  smooth  pinkish  membrane,  when  dry 
rugulose  and  iridescent,  the  inner  surface  somewhat  thickened  below 
and  brownish  at  the  base.  Capillitium  arising  out  of  the  thickened 
base,  the  threads  hyaline  or  pinkish,  ascending,  flexuous,  simple,  or 
branched  a  time  or  two,  the  extremities  attached  on  all  sides  to  the 
wall  of  the  sporangium.  Spores  globose,  very  minutely  warted,  pale, 
pinkish,  10-11  yu,  in  diameter,  free. 

Growing  on  old  wood  and  bark  of  Alnus;  British  Columbia, 
W.  B.  Anderson. 

Sporangium  spherical,  6-8  mm.  in  diameter,  sessile  or  on  a  very 
short  stipe.  This  species  differs  from  D.  harveyi  Rex  in  the  uniform 
pinkish  color  of  the  wall  and  of  the  spores;  the  dividing  threads 
are  furnished  remotely  with  minute  roundish  tubercles  as  in  Didy- 
mium;  the  spores  are  somewhat  larger  than  in  D.  harveyi. 

B.  PERICHi^NACE.^ 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Perichsenaceaa 

A.   Sporangia   more  or   less   plasmodiocarpous   in   type,    terete;    dehiscence 
irregular 1.     Ophiotheca 


240  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

B.  Sporangia  more  or  less  polygonal  in  outline,  or  round,  depressed ;  dehis- 
cence circumscissile 2.  Perich^ena 

1.  Ophiotheca  Currey. 
1869.  Ophiotheca  pallida  Berk.  &  C,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  X.,  p.  350. 
Fructification  generally  plasmodiocarpous,  terete,  bent  or  flexuous, 
often  annular  or  cornuate,  rarely  globose,  opening  irregularly,  perid- 
ium  thin,  not  polished,  covered  more  or  less  strongly  with  a  distinct 
layer  of  scales  or  granules;  capillitium  of  slender,  loosely  branching 
filaments,  the  surface  rough  to  strongly  spinulose;  spores  yellow. 

As  a  generic  name  Ophiotheca  plainly  has  priority.  Cornuvia  as 
understood  by  Rostafin^ki  has  no  representative  so  far  in  our  region. 

Key  to  the  Species   of   Ophiotheca 

A.  Plasmodiocarp  usually  upon  herbaceous  stems,  slender, 

1.  O.  vermicularis 

B.  Plasmodiocarp  on  rotting  bark,  logs,  etc, 

a.  Pale  brownish  or  yellowish       .         .        .         ,      2.  O.  chrysosperma 

b.  Chestnut  brown  or  blackish 3.    O.  lurightii 

1.     Ophiotheca  vermicularis  (Schw.)  Macbr. 

1834.     Physarum  vermicularis  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  No.  2296. 

1869.  Ophiotheca  pallida  Berk,  &  C,  Jour.  Lin.  Soc,  X.,  p.  350. 

1873.  Ophiotheca  umbrina  Berk.  &  C.   Grev.,   II.,   p.  88. 

1876.  Perichaena  pallida    (Schw.)    Rost.,  Mon.  A  pp.,  p.   34. 

Plasmodiocarp  very  slender,  terete,  elongate,  flexuous  or  reticu- 
late, annular,  etc.,  of  dull  gray  or  neutral  tint;  the  peridium  thin, 
translucent,  but  with  a  delicate  granular  outer  coating;  capilli- 
tium of  slender  threads,  frequently  branched,  warted  and  usually 
minutely  spinulose ;  spore-mass  ochraceous  yellow ;  spores  by  transmit- 
ted light  pale  yellow,  minutely  roughened,  10  [x. 

Perhaps  common,  but  seldom  collected,  probably  overlooked  on  ac- 
count of  protective  coloration  ;  the  color  is  about  that  of  the  habitat,  the 
weathered  surface  of  dead  herbaceous  stems  and  roots.  On  dead  corn 
stalks  not  infrequent.  Differs  from  other  species  of  the  genus  in  hav- 
ing smoother  capillitium,  for  which  reason  Rostafinski  calls  the 
present  species  Perichaena  vermicularis.  O.  pallida  Berk.  &  C.  seems 
to  us  to  be  the  same  thing,  N.  A.  F.,  726. 

New  England,  New  Jersey,  South  Carolina,  Ontario,  Ohio,  Iowa. 


OPHIOTHECA  241 

2.  Ophiotheca  chrysoperma  Currey. 

1854.     ophiotheca  chrysosperma  Currey,  Quart.  Mic.  Jour.,  II.,  p.  240. 

1875.  Cornwuia  circumscissa  (Wallr.)   Rost.,  Man.,  p.  290. 

1911.     Perichaena  chrysosperma  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  in  part,  p.  248. 

Plasmodiocarp  elongate,  bent  and  curved  in  various  ways,  spheri- 
cal, more  rarely  annular  or  even  reticulate,  yellowish  or  ochraceous 
brown,  opening  irregularly;  peridium  thin,  with  yellowish  outer 
layer;  capillitium  rather  abundant,  of  threads  slender,  sparingly 
branched  and  minutely  but  distinctly  spinulose;  spore-mass  yellow, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  almost  smooth,  about  8  fi. 

Occurs  on  the  inner  bark  of  deciduous  trees,  especially  of  oak. 
Not  common. 

This  is  possibly  Cornuvia  circumscissa  {Wallr.)  of  Rostafinski's 
monograph;  but  it  is  doubtful  to  what  Wallroth  referred.  Rosta- 
finski's other  citations  are  equally  uncertain.  Currey's  figures  and 
description  alone  merit  recognition. 

Ohio,   Iowa,  Tennessee ;  Canada. 

3.  Ophiotheca  wrightii  Berk. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  1,1  a,  1  b. 

1868.     Ophiotheca  nvrightii  Berk,  &  C,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  X.,  p.  349. 

1876.  Cornuvia  ivriffhtii   (Berk.  &  C.)   Rost.,  Afon.  A  pp.,  p.  36. 

1892.  Cornuvia  ivriffhtii  (Berk,  &  C.)  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la., 
II.,  p.  122. 

1911.     Perichaena  chrysosperma  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed.,  p,  248, 

Plasmodiocarp  bent  or  short-flexuous,  often  arcuate  or  completely 
annular,  dark  chestnut  brown  or  black,  opening  irregularly;  peridium 
thin,  brittle,  translucent,  covered  without  by  a  rather  dense  layer  of 
brownish  or  black  brown  scales ;  capillitium  of  long,  sparingly  branch- 
ed threads  furnished  with  projecting  spinules  remarkable  for  their 
length,  about  twice  the  diameter  of  the  thread ;  spores  yellow, 
minutely  but  distinctly  warted,  about  \2  jx. 

This  is  the  common  species  everywhere  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
bark  of  fallen  trees,  Ulmus,  etc.  It  is  readily  distinguished  at  sight 
by  the  peculiar  annular,  looped,  and  U-shaped  plasmodiocarps,  with 
their  dark  umbrine  or  blackened  surface.     From  the  preceding  it 

17 


242  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

is   especially   distinguished   by   the   spinulose   capillitium   and   larger 
spores. 

Not  rare.     New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio. 

2.     Perichaena  Fries 

1817.     Perichaena  Fries,  Symb.   Cast.,  p.   11. 

Sporangia  flattened,  sometimes  small  and  roundish,  more  often 
larger,  polygonal  by  mutual  interference,  or  irregular,  the  peridium 
thickened  outwardly  by  a  dense  reddish  or  brownish  layer  of  scales; 
dehiscing  by  circumscission  or  by  a  lid;  capillitium  often  scant,  of 
slender,  warted,  yellowish  threads,  attached  betimes  to  the  upper  wall ; 
spores  yellow,  oval  or  spherical. 

Key   to  the   Species   of  Perlchsena 

A.  Sporangia  plainly  flattened. 

a.  Very  flat,  sporangia   1mm.  or  more  in  width       .       1.  P.  depressa 

b.  Depressed;   sporangia  smaller       .         .         .         .         2.    P.  quadrata 

B,  Sporangia  more  or  less  spherical 

a.  Chestnut  brown 3.    P.   corticalis 

b.  Gray  or  canescent     ......        4.    P.   marginata 

1.    Perichaena  depressa  Libert. 

Plate  XVII.,  Fig.  10. 
1837.     Perichaena  depressa  Lib.,   Fl.   Crypt.  Ard.,  IV.,   No.,   378. 

Sporangia  sessile,  applanate,  crowded,  polj^gonal  by  mutual  con- 
tact, fuscous  or  chestnut  brown,  shining,  opening  by  a  definite  lid ; 
spore-mass  and  capillitium  yellow,  the  capillitium  well  developed, 
of  slender  yellow  threads  of  various  widths,  almost  smooth ;  spores 
minutely  warted,  10-12  /x. 

Easily  recognized  by  the  peculiar,  polygonal,  depressed-flattened 
sporangia  and  consequent  shallow  spore-cases  in  which  lie  the  yellow 
spores  and  scanty  capillitium.  Rostafinski  refers  here  .P.  vaporaria 
Schw.,  No.  2311,  but  the  meagre  description  seems  rather  to  apply 
to  the  next  species.     The  original  material  is  no  longer  accessible. 

In  the  crevices  and  or.  the  inside  of  bark  of  fallen  logs  of  various 
sorts,  walnut,  maple,  etc. 

Not   commonly   collected.      Specimens   are   before   us    from    New 


PERICH^NA  243 

England,    Illinois,    Iowa,    Missouri,    Florida,   Mexico,    Nicaragua. 
Probably  over  the  whole  wooded   region  of  the  continent. 

2.  Perichaena  quadrata  Macbr. 

1893.     Perichaena  irregularis  Berk.   &   C,   Morgan,  Jour.   Cin.  Soc,  p.   20. 

Sporangia  very  small,  less  than  %  mm.,  crowded,  polygonal  or 
quadrangular,  depressed,  but  not  flattened,  smooth,  bright  rufous 
or  brown;  the  peridium  rather  thick,  yellow  within,  the  dehiscence 
circumscissile ;  capillitium  scanty,  of  slender,  sparingly  branched  fila- 
ments, the  surface  minutely  roughened,  warted  or  spinulose ;  spore- 
mass  yellow;  by  transmitted  light  pale  yellow,  9-11  /m. 

Differs  from  the  preceding  by  the  much  smaller  size  of  the  sporan- 
gia, different  color  and  habit.  The  sporangia,  while  depressed, 
still  maintain  considerable  rotundity;  they  are  occasionally  quite 
spherical,  and  then  of  very  uneven  size,  hardly  in  contact.  In  some 
cases  the  Plasmodium  before  maturing  seems  to  assume  the  form  of  a 
plasmodiocarp,  which,  by  transverse  fission  at  intervals,  forms  the 
curious  four-sided  conceptacles.  At  other  times  the  Plasmodium  as- 
sumes the  shape  of  a  flat  cushion  or  plate,  which  then  subdivides 
into  minute  polygonal  segments.  This  form  has  been  known  some 
years  to  collectors,  and,  if  named  at  all,  has  been  called  P.  irregularis. 
Lister,  /.  c,  assures  us  that  Berkeley's  type  "is  typical  P.  depressa." 

Not  common.     Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Illinois,  Missouri. 

3.  Perichaena  corticalis  (Batsch)  Rost. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  1,  1  a,  1  b. 

1783.  Lycoperdon  corticate  Batsch,  Elench.  Fung.,  p.  155. 
1875.  Perichaena  corticalis  (Batsch)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  293. 
1817.     Perichaena  populina  Fries,  Symb.   Gast.,  p.  12. 

Sporangia  sessile,  gregarious,  flattened,  hemispherical ;  peridia  sim- 
ple, opening  by  a  lid ;  dehiscence  circumscissile,  the  upper  part  chest- 
nut brown,  the  lower  almost  black;  capillitium  feebly  developed, 
smooth,  attached  to  the  lid  and  usually  coming  away  with  it,  bringing 
the  brilliantly  yellow  spore-mass,  and  leaving  a  delicate,  shining 
cupule  adherent  to  the  substratum ;  spores  yellow,  nearly  smooth, 
10-12  fi.     On  and  under  the  bark  of  dead  elms  of  various  species. 


244  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

A  very  handsome  little  species  occuring  rarely  with  us,  or  perhaps 
overlooked  by  virtue  of  its  protective  coloration.  Found  sometimes 
on  the  inner  side  of  the  bark  where  the  latter  has  separated,  but 
not  yet  wholly  parted  company  with  the  wood.  In  such  situations 
the  tiny  sporangia  are  so  nearly  quite  the  color  of  the  moist  sub- 
stratum as  to  escape  all  but  the  closest  scrutiny.  The  dehiscence 
is  very  remarkable,  characteristic,  beautiful.  Black,  brown,  chestnut, 
and  gold  are  harmoniously  blended,  in  the  opening  coffers.  Prior 
to  maturity  the  future  line  of  fission  is  plainly  indicated  by  the  differ- 
ence in  color. 

This  is  clearly  the  species  found  by  Batsch  "ligni  demortui  putri- 
di  in  interiore  corticis  pagina."  Bulliard  has  also  described  and 
figured  the  species,  Sphaerocarpus  sessilis  t.  417,  Fig.  V. 

The  capillitium  is  nearly  smooth ;  the  spores  are  only  slightly 
roughened  by  minute  warts. 

Apparently  not  common.  Iowa,  Missouri ;  Black  Hills,  South 
Dakota ;  Canada ; —  Miss  Currie. 

4.    Perichaena  marginata  Schiveinitz. 

1831.    Perichaena  marginata  Schw.,  A^.  A.  F.,  No.  2319,  p.  258. 

Sporangia  depressed,  globose,  polygonal  as  they  become  approximate 
or  crowded,  hoary  canescent,  sessile ;  peridium  rather  thick,  persistent, 
circumscissile  in  dehiscence,  covered  without  by  minute  whitish  cal- 
careous (?)  scales,  within  punctate  by  the  imprint  of  the  spores; 
hypothallus  distinct,  white ;  capillitium  scant  or  none !  Spores  in 
mass  dull  yellow,  by  transmitted  light  pale,  nearly  smooth,  14—15  /u.. 

Lister,  following  Rostafinski,  includes  this  form  with  the  pre- 
ceding. The  differences  between  the  two  forms  are,  it  seems  to  us, 
sufficient  to  make  convenient  their  separation  as  by  Schwcinitz.  Apart 
from  the  peculiar  incrustation  in  the  present  species,  the  larger 
spores,  and  especially  the  peculiar  white  hypothallus,  are  distinctive. 
The  method  of  dehiscence  is  also  different.  In  P.  corticalis  the 
line  of  cleavage  before  spore  dispersal  is  indicated  by  a  definite  band 
surrounding  the  sporangium.  Nothing  similar  appears  in  the  gray 
specimens  of  the  present  form,  although  the  dehiscence  is  quite  as 
certainly  circumscissile.     The  habitat  in  American  specimens  is  the 


ARCYRIACEJE  245 

outer  surface   of   the   bark,   which   causes   the   species  generally,   by 
protective  coloration,  to  be  overlooked. 

Not  common.     Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Missouri. 

C.    ARCYRIACE.^ 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Arcyriacese 

A.  Peridium  becoming  fragmentary,  but  persisting;  capillitium  non-elastic, 

1.  Lachnobolus 

B.  Peridium  evanescent  above,  persistent  below;  capillitium  elastic, 

2.   Arcyri^ 

C.  Capillitium  elastic,  bearing  hamate  branches,  3.     Heterotrichia 

1.  Lachnobolus  Fries. 
1829.     Lachnobolus  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  177. 

Sporangia  distinct,  sessile  or  nearly  so,  globose  or  cylindric,  often 
distorted,  scattered  or  densely  crowded,  the  peridium  extremely  thin, 
ruptured  irregularly,  and  persistent  in  fragments;  capillitium  attach- 
ed at  numerous  points  to  the  sporangial  wall,  forming  a  dense  net, 
the  threads  warted  or  spinulose,  non-elastic. 

Species  of  this  genus  are  easily  distinguished  from  those  of  the 
next  by  the  peculiar  fragile  peridium  and  the  inelastic  capillitium. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Lachnobolus 

A.  Sporangia   pale  yellow,   on   fallen   flowers   and   fruit-burs   of   Castanea, 

1.  L.  globosus 

B.  Sporangia   rosy  or  copper-colored,   at  length  ochraceous, 

2.  L.  occidentalis 

1.    Lachnobolus  globosus  (Schiv.)  Rost. 

1822.  Arcyria  glohosa  Schw.,  Syn.  Fung.  Carol.,  No.  400. 
1875.  Lachnobolus  globosus  (Schw.)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  283. 
1894.     Arcyria  albida  Pers.  (in  part)  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  186. 

Sporangia  on  the  spines  of  fallen  chestnut  burs,  scattered,  pale  yel- 
low or  whitish,  small,  globose,  the  peridium  early  evanescent  above, 
more  persistent  below,  stipitate;  stipe  small,  tapering  upward,  from 
a  small  hypothallus;  capillitium  a  dense  but  not  expanding  network 
attached  chiefly  to  the  lower  portion  of  the  sporangial  wall,  minutely 


246  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

warted  or  roughened,  with  few  expansions  or  inflations;  spores  in 
mass  pale  yellow,  under  the  lens  colorless,  almost  smooth,  7-8  fi. 

This  singular  little  species  is  remarkable  chiefly  in  the  habitat  it 
affects, — fallen  chestnut  burs.  On  these  almost  universal,  but  on 
nothing  else,  except  on  the  fallen  catkins  of  the  same  species.  Regard- 
ed by  Mr.  Lister  as  A.  cinerea,  from  which  it  differs  constantly  in 
form,  in  capillitium  more  open  and  with  larger  threads,  4-5  /i  in 
diameter  as  well  as  in  its  unique  habitat,  and  yellowish  color. 

Distribution  coterminous  with  that  of  Castanea  dentata  Bork- 
hausen, —  eastern  half  of  the  United  States. 

2.    Lachnobolus  occidentalis  Macbr. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  i ;  4  and  4  a. 

1885.  LacJinobolus  incarnatus  (Alb.  &  Schw.)  Macbr.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat. 
Hist.  loiva.  II.,  p.   126. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  crowded  upon  a  hypothallus  more  or  less 
distinct,  globose  or  ellipsoidal,  short-stipitate,  varying  somewhat  in 
color,  at  first  rosy  or  flesh-colored,  later  brownish  or  ochraceous; 
the  peridium  exceedingly  thin,  pellucid,  mealy,  evanescent  above,  per- 
sisting as  a  shallow  cup  below ;  capillitium  inelastic,  rather  closely  net- 
ted of  threads  variable  in  thickness,  marked  by  frequent  thickenings 
or  expansions,  everywhere  warted,  attached  to  the  peridial  walls, 
spores  in  mass  flesh-colored,  under  the  lens  colorless,  smooth,  globose, 
7.5-9  /.. 

This  delicate  and  elegant  little  species  appears  to  be  not  uncommon, 
but  is  probably  generally  passed  over  as  an  Arcyria,  which  it  super- 
ficially resembles.  When  newly  formed,  the  sporangia  have  a  pecul- 
iar rosy  or  flesh-colored  metallic  tint,  which  is  all  their  own.  Within 
a  short  time  this  color  passes,  and  most  of  the  material  comes  from  the 
field  brownish  or  ochraceous  in  color.  Typical  sporangia  are  spheri- 
cal on  distinct  short  stipes;  when  crowded,  the  shape  is  of  course 
less  definite.  The  capillitium  never  expands  as  in  Arcyria,  but,  ex- 
posed by  the  vanishing  upper  wall,  remains  a  spherical  mass  resting 
upon  the  shallow  cup-like  base  of  the  peridium. 

This  species  has  been  in  the  United  States  generally  distributed  as 
L.  incarnatus   (Alb.  &  Schw.)   Schroet.     A  careful  study  of  all  de- 


ARCYRIA  247 

scriptions  of  European  forms  and  comparison  of  many  specimens  leads 
us  to  believe  that  we  have  here  to  do  with  a  type  presenting  constant 
peculiarities.  We  have  in  America  nothing  to  correspond  with  the 
figures  of  Schweinitz,  Berkeley,  or  Lister.  In  the  American  gather- 
ings the  sporangia  are  uniformly  regular,  globose,  very  generally 
short-stipitate,  more  or  less  closely  gregarious,  never  superimposed, 
or  heaped  as  shown  in  Berkeley's  figure,  for  instance,  Ann.  and  Mag. 
Nat.  Hist.,  IV.,  xvii.,  PI.  ix..  Fig.  2.  The  Plasmodium  of  our  species 
is  white ;  as  it  approaches  maturity  a  rosy  metallic  tinge  supervenes, 
quickly  changing  to  dull  yellow  or  alutaceous.  The  graphic  descrip- 
tion given  by  Fries  of  Perichaena  incamata,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  193, 
presents  scarcely  a  character  attributable  to  the  form  before  us.  L. 
congesta  Berk.  &  Br.,  evidently  the  form  figured  and  described  by 
Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  194,  PI.  Ixx.,  B.,  resembles  our  species  in  color 
and  capillitium,  but  is  entirely  different  in  habit. 

Not  uncommon.     Maine,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Nebraska. 

2.     Arcyria   {Hill)   Pers. 

1751.     Arcyria  Sir  John  Hill,  Gen.  Nat.  Hist.,  II.,  p.  47. 
1801.     Arcyria  Pers..  Syn.  Fung.,  p.   182. 

Sporangia  ovoid  or  cylindric  or  even  globose,  stipitate;  the  peridium 
thin,  evanescent  to  near  the  base,  the  lower  part  persisting  as  a  calyc- 
ulus ;  the  stipe  variable,  packed  with  free  cell-like  vesicles,  resem- 
bling spores,  but  larger ;  capillitium  attached  below,  to  the  interior  of 
the  stipe  or  to  the  calyculus,  in  form  an  elastic  network,  the  tubules 
adorned  with  warts,  spinules,  half-rings,  etc.,  but  without  spiral 
bands  or  free  extremities. 

Micheli,  of  course,  discovered  the  arcyrias,  put  them  in  two  genera 
and  several  species,  which  we  may  only  dimly  recognize.  Persoon 
first  saw  distinctly  the  outlines  of  the  genus  as  now  understood  and 
adopted  the  name  given  by  Hill  in  his  curiously  prolix  description 
of  certain  species,  probably  partly  of  the  genus  Arcyria,  partly  Ste- 
monitis. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Arcyria 

A.  Mature  capillitium   loosely  adhering  to  the  calyculus. 
a.  Mature  capillitium  far-expanded,  drooping. 


248  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

i.    Dusky. 

*  Long,   12  mm.  or  more       ....  I.  A.  magna 
**  Shorter,  about  6  mm 2.  A.  oerstedtii 

ii.  Yellow "i.  A.  nutans 

b.    Mature    capillitium    short,    not    drooping,    though    sometimes    pro- 
cumbent, 
i.  Capillitium  greenish  yellow      .         .         .        .       A-.  A.  versicolor 
ii.   Capillitium   reddish,    flesh-colored,    at  length   sordid,   etc. 

*  Capillitium    marked    by    transverse   half-rings,    cogs,    etc. 

5.  A.  incarnata 

**    Capillitium   marked   by   sharp-edged   transverse   plates   and 

by  numerous  nodes         .         .        .        .         6.  A,  nodulosa 

***  Capillitium  marked  by  close  reticulations,       7.  A.  ferruginea 

B.  Capillitium  persistently  attached  to  the  calyculus. 

a.  Sporangia  reddish  brown,  etc i.  A.  denudata 

b.  Sporangia    gray   or    ashen 

i  Simple 9.     A.    cinerea 

ii.  Clustered 10.  A.  digitata 

c.  Sporangia  yellow II.  A,  pomiformis 

d.  Sporangia  rose-colored,  .5-1.5  mm.          ...  12.  A.  insignis 

1.     Arcyria  magna  Rex. 
1893.    Arcyria  magna  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  364. 

Sporangia  densely  aggregated,  forming  clusters  of  greater  or  less 
extent,  sometimes  reaching  several  centimetres  in  either  direction, 
tawny  gray  or  ashen,  cylindric,  tapering  a  little  above,  when  expand- 
ed reaching  a  length  of  half  a  centimetre  or  more,  stipitate ;  peridium 
evanescent  except  the  small  shallow  cup-like  base,  the  calyculus ;  stipe 
long  (1  mm.),  weak,  pale  brown  or  reddish,  tubular,  the  channel 
filled  with  plasmodic  masses;  capillitium  gray  or  drab-colored,  very 
slightly  attached  to  the  bottom  of  the  calyculus,  far  expanded,  form- 
ing a  loose-meshed  net,  the  threads  regular,  cylindric,  coarsely  sculp- 
tured with  rings,  half-rings,  cogs,  spines,  etc.;  spores  in  mass  dull 
gray,  drab,  under  the  lens  colorless,  papillate,  with  few  papillae, 
7-8/*. 

This  magnificent  form  resembles  in  habit  and  general  appearance, 
save  color,  A.  nutans.  The  capillitium  is,  however,  very  diflferent 
both  in  the  sculpture  and  in  the  more  delicate  markings  of  the  threads. 
Dr.  Rex,  /.  c,  has  pointed  out  the  lack  of  reticulation  on  the  cap- 
illitium and  calyculus.     The  color  is  also  diagnostic.     A  roseate  vari- 


ARCYRIA  249 

ety  seems  to  occur  with  the  present  form.  This  is  A.  magna  rosea 
Rex,  and  appears  to  agree  with  the  type  in  all  respects  save  color. 
The  relationship  here  must  be  determined  by  future  inquiry.  The 
capillitial  threads  are  remarkable  for  their  graceful  slenderness,  regu- 
larity, and  symmetry. 

2.  Arcyria  oerstedtii  Rost. 

1875.     Arcyria  oerstedtii  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  278,  Fig.  196. 

Sporangia  cylindric,  arcuate,  1.5  mm.  high  when  unexpanded, 
closely  clustered,  dull  crimson,  stipitate;  peridium  evanescent  except 
here  and  there  a  persistent  patch,  the  calyculus  shallow,  plicate,  papil- 
lose within ;  stipe  short,  weak,  concolorous ;  hypothallus  distinct,  mem- 
branous, concolorous;  capillitium  a  loosC;  far-expanding,  elastic  net, 
the  meshes  uneven,  often  small,  the  threads  characterized  by  much 
irregularity  and  many  bulbose  thickenings,  especially  at  the  nodes, 
strongly  spinulose  throughout;  spore-mass  crimson  or  reddish  brown, 
dull ;  spores  by  transmitted  light  colorless,  nearly  smooth,  sub-globose, 
9-10  /x. 

This  well-marked  species  is  certainly  rare  within  our  limits.  We 
have  specimens  from  New  England  and  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
Iowa  material  referred  to  this  species.  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.  la., 
II.,  p.  125,  is  A.  magna  Rex.  Rostafinski's  figure  is  excellent  in  the 
present  case,  and  gives  the  idea  of  what  we  regard  the  typical  mark- 
ing of  the  capillitium  in  A.  oerstedtii.  Externally  the  species  resembles 
somewhat  A.  nodulosa,  and  the  network  of  the  capillitium  is  also  sug- 
gestive of  that  form ;  the  spiny  capillitium  is  unique. 

Rare.     Adirondacks,  New  York  —  Dr.  Rex. 

3.  Arcyria  nutans   (Bull.)   Grev. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.   6,  6  a,  6  b. 

1791.     Trichia  nutans  Bulliard,   Champ.,  p.   122,  t.   502,   III. 
1794.     Arcyria  fla'va  Pers.,  Romer  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,   p.  90. 
1824.     Arcyria  nutans  Grev.,  Fl.  Edin.,  p.  455. 

Sporangia  crowded,  cylindric,  about  2  mm.  high  when  unexpanded, 
pale  yellow  or  buff,  short-stipitate  or  sessile  by  an  acute  base ;  peridium 


250  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

wholly  evanescent,  except  at  the  base,  where  persists  the  shallow, 
colorless,  often  inwardly  spinulose,  plicatulate  calyculus;  stipe  very 
short  or  wanting;  hypothallus  thin  but  usually  in  evidence;  capilli- 
tium  expanding  to  great  length,  forming  an  extremely  flexile,  plumose, 
pendulose  open  network  of  pale  ochraceous  tint,  the  threads  3-4  /tx 
in  thickness,  adorned  with  spinules,  sharp  edged  transverse  plates 
sometimes  rings,  the  surface  especially  marked  by  an  indistinct  reticu- 
lation ;  spore-mass  buff  or  ochraceous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  col- 
orless, smooth  or  nearly  so,  7-8  fx. 

This  elegant  species  is  not  rare  in  undisturbed  woods,  especially 
on  fallen  willows.  The  expanded  capillitia  are  very  soft  and  plume- 
like, waving  and  nodding,  very  lightly  attached  below  to  the  centre 
of  the  peridial  cup.  The  capillitium  threads  are  rough,  with  irregular 
spines  and  sharp-edged  transverse  plates,  occasionally  extending  to 
form  rings.  Resembles  the  first  species  somewhat  in  habit,  size,  and 
the  spinescent  capillitium,  but  the  resemblance  is  superficial  only. 
The  color  is  at  once  diagnostic,  and  the  capillitium  is  after  all  entirely 
different.  Not  uncommon ;  Canada  to  Mexico ;  Maine  to  California ; 
probably  cosmopolitan. 

Bulliard's  figure  determines  the  synonymy.  Persoon  called  the 
form  A.  flavn,  because  Bulliard  had  missed  the  genus. 

4.     Arcyria  versicolor  Phillips. 

1877.     Arcyria  versicolor  Phillips,  Grev.,  V.,  p.  115. 
1877.     Arcyria  vitellina  Phillips,   Grev.,  V.,   p.  115. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  more  or  less  crowded,  pyriform  or  clavate, 
dingy,  olivaceous  yellow,  becoming  reddish,  stipitate;  peridium  mem- 
branous, largely  persistent  below,  where  it  gives  rise  to  the  deep, 
goblet-shaped  calyculus;  stipe  strand-like,  weak,  sometimes  wanting, 
concolorous  with  the  peridium ;  hypothallus  prominent  or  venulose ; 
capillitium  only  slowly  expanded,  bright  golden  yellow  or  orange, 
the  threads  rather  broadj  about  4  /x  in  diameter,  regular,  even,  ele- 
gantly branching,  adorned  with  abundant  short  spines  or  warts,  very 
small  and  evenly  distributed,  the  whole  net  anchored  in  the  bottom 
of  the  vasiform  calyculus ;  spore-mass  yellow,  by  transmitted  light  pale 
or  nearly  colorless,  smooth,  about  10  /x. 


ARCYRIA  251 

This  beautiful  species  is  easily  known  by  its  comparatively  large 
size,  peculiar,  obovate  shape,  its  brilliant  color,  and  unusually  per- 
sistent membranous  cal_vculus.  It  is  peculiar  to  the  western  part  of 
North  America,  South  Dakota  west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

South  Dakota,  Colorado,  California,  Washington. 

In  the  thin-covered  mountains  of  Colorado,  or  hidden  by  the  still 
drier  thickets  and  woods  of  Southern  Californa,  the  fruit  of  this 
species  is  small,  somewhat  as  the  clavate  hemitrichia,  pure,  deep 
yellow,  golden  or  vitelline  as  Phillips  says;  but  at  loftier  altitudes 
in  the  ever  cool  forests  on  the  high  mountain  flanks,  beginning  away 
up  where  the  glacier  first  starts  to  crack  and  slide  between  the 
'cleavers',  and  forests  of  stunted  white-stemmed  pine  or  wooly-fruited 
fir  throw  down  their  twigs  and  foliage  undisturbed  through  centuries, 
— on  down  to  where  the  plowing  ice  forgets  its  thrust,  and  melts 
to  gentle  floods  amid  spruce  and  hemlock-groves, — all  the  way  the 
beautiful  versicolor  spreads  and  fruits,  in  August  and  September  in 
all  the  richness  of  color  which  its  name  implies,  which  Phillips  saw, 
tints  of  red,  and  yellow,  and  olive,  and  green,  not  brilliant,  but  in  all 
the  softer  shades  the  artists  love,  weaving,  in  far-spread  strands  of 
tufted  cylinders  and  cones  upturned,  fair  as  flowers,  dusky  garlands, 
by  sunlight  long  forgot!  Did  not  the  old-time  botanists  liken  these 
things  once  and  again,  to  flowers! 

5.     Arcyria  incarnata  Persoon. 

1786.     Clathrus  adnatus  Batsch,  Elench.  Fung.,  141.   (?) 
1791.     Arcyria  incarnata  Pers.,  Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,  II.,   1467. 

Sporangia  closely  crowded,  cylindric,  1-1.5  mm.  high,  rosy  or 
flesh-colored,  stipitate  or  almost  sessile;  stipe  generally  short,  some- 
times barely  a  conical  point  beneath  the  calyculus;  hypothallus  none; 
peridium  wholly  evanescent,  except  the  shallow,  saucer-like,  inwardly 
roughened  calyculus;  capillitium  loose,  broad,  pale  reddish,  attached 
to  the  cup  at  the  centre  only  by  strands  which  enter  the  hollow  stem, 
the  threads  adorned  with  transverse  plates,  cogs,  ridges,  etc.,  arrang- 
ed in  an  open  spiral ;  spore-mass  rosy,  spores  by  transmitted  light 
colorless,  nearly  smooth,  7—8  /x. 

This  common  species  is  well  marked  both  by  its  color  and  by  the 


252  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

delicate  attachment  of  the  capillitium  to  the  calyculus.  This  is  so 
frail  that  the  slightest  breath  ofttimes  suffices  to  effect  a  separation, 
and  the  empty  calyculi  are  not  infrequently  the  only  evidence  of  the 
fructification.  This  peculiarity  did  not  escape  the  attention  of  Per- 
soon,  and  is  well  shown  in  his  figure  {Obs.  Myc.  I.,  p.  58,  pi.  V. 
Figs.  4  and  5)  referred  to  by  Gmelin,  /.  c.  Batsch  simply  named  and 
described  Micheli's  figure  (Tab.  XCIV.,  Fig.  2),  and  accordingly 
his  claim  to  priority  is  no  better  than  Micheli's  figure,  which  may 
possibly  concern  the  present  species,  but  is  in  no  sense  determinative. 
It  is  impossible  to  say  what  Retzius  meant  by  his  Clathrus  ramosus, 
cited  by  Fries  as  a  synonym  here. 

Common,  especially  in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  south ;  more 
rare  in  the  west;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota;  Toronto  to  New  Mex- 
ico. 

6.     Arcyria  nodulosa  Macbr. 

Plate  III.,  Fig.  8. 

Sporangia  small,  about  1  mm.  high  when  unexpanded,  crowded 
in  clusters  of  varying  size,  dull  red  or  brownish,  stipitate ;  the  perid- 
ium  evanescent  except  the  cup ;  stipe  very  short,  concolorous,  plicate 
as  the  cup,  or  both  smooth  and  unmarked ;  capillitium  centrally 
attached,  slowly  expanded,  open-meshed,  dense,  the  threads  even,  5-6  fx 
wide,  expanded  in  globose,  spinulose,  or  papillate-reticulate  nodules, 
especially  at  points  of  intersection,  marked  everywhere  by  close-set, 
transverse,  sharp-edged  ridges,  which  encircle  the  thread  and  show 
no  trace  of  spiral  arrangement;  spore-mass  brown  or  red  brown; 
spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  yellow  or  colorless,  minutely  but  dis- 
tinctly roughened,  globose,  10—12  /x. 

This  variety  is  not  distantly  related  to  the  preceding,  as  shown 
by  the  centrally  attached  capillitial  mass,  but  differs  in  several  definite 
particulars ;  the  sporangia  are  much  smaller  of  an  entirely  different  col- 
or with  longer  stipes,  larger,  rougher  spores;  the  capillitium  is  also 
peculiar,  the  threads  unusually  wide  and  densely  corrugated  trans- 
versely, expanding  at  frequent  intervals  into  globose  nodules  which 
are  sometimes  double  the  width  of  the  thread.  In  color  suggests  A. 
affinis  Rost.,  but  corresponds  to  no  other  particular. 


ARCYRIA  253 

7.  Arcyria  ferruginea  Sauter. 

Plate  XII.,  Figs.  6,  (,  a,  6  b. 

1841.     Arcyria  ferruginea  Saut,  Flora,  XXIV.,  p.  316. 

1881.     Arcyria  macrospora  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.  XXXIV.,  p.  43 

1883.    Arcyria  aurantiaca  Raunier,  Myx.  Dan.,  p.   (44). 

Sporangia  ovoid  or  short  cylindric,  crowded  or  gregarious,  dull 
red  or  brownish,  stipitate;  stipe  about  equal  to  the  sporangium,  dark' 
brown  or  black;  hypofhallus  well  developed,  membranous,  yellowish 
brown  continuous ;  calyculus  large,  wide  and  shallow,  smooth ;  capilli- 
tium  centrally  attached,  when  fresh,  brick-red  in  color,  fading  on 
exposure,  the  threads  of  uneven  size,  those  above  6-7  ju,,  below  3  fx, 
abundantly  branching,  marked  by  conspicuous  reticulations  formed 
by  the  intersection  of  numerous  vertical  plates  or  ridges;  spore- 
mass  reddish,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  ochraceous,  distinctly 
warted,  10-12  /x. 

This  species  is  distinguishable  at  sight  by  the  peculiar  color  and 
form  of  the  sporangia.  Mr.  Durand  in  Bot.  Gaz.,  XIX.,  pp  89, 
90,  gives  a  careful  study  of  the  form.  The  same  author  declares  the 
dehiscence  circumscissile.  We  cannot  distinguish  A.  aurantiaca  Raun. 
from  the  present  form. 

Rare.     Maine,  New  York;  Monterey,  California. 

8.  Arcyria  denudata    {Linn.)    Sheldon. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  5,  5  a. 

1753.     Clathrus  denudatus  Linn.,  Sysi.  Nat.,  1179, 

1794.     Arcyria  punicea  Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  90. 

1895.     Arcyria  denudata   (Linn.)   Sheld.,  Minn.  Bot.  Studies,  No.  9,  p,  470. 

Sporangia  crowded  or  gregarious,  ovoid  or  short  cylindrical,  ta- 
pering upward,  red-brown,  stipitate;  peridium  evanescent  except  the 
plicate  calyculus;  stipe  about  equal  to  the  expanded  capillitium,  con- 
colorous,  plicate  or  striate,  ascending  from  a  small  hypothallus ;  capil- 
litium attached  to  the  whole  inner  surface  of  the  calyculus  and 
connate  with  it ;  hence  not  deciduous,  bright  red  or  carmine  when 
fresh,  turning  brown  or  paler  with  age,  the  threads  even,  about  3  /x 
adorned   with  a  scries  of  rather  distant  cogs  or  half  rings,   which 


254  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

form  around  the  thread  a  lengthened  spiral ;  spore-mass  red  or  reddish 
brown,  spores  by  transmitted  light  colorless,  nearly  smooth,  6—8  /x. 

This  species  is  easily  distinguished  from  all  other  of  similar  tints 
by  the  attachment  of  the  capillitium.  In  this  respect  it  corresponds 
with  the  following  species.  In  the  adornment  of  the  threads  it  is 
like  A.  incarnata.  It  is  by  far  the  commonest  species  of  the  genus, 
and  probably  enjoys  a  world-wide  distribution.  To  be  found  at 
all  seasons  on  the  lower  side  of  fallen  sticks,  Populus,  Tilia,  etc. 

Micheli,  PI.  XCIV.,  shows  that  he  had  the  present  species.  The 
description  given  by  Linne  is  worthless,  but  helped  out  by  Micheli,  and 
several  other  authors  of  the  eighteenth  century,  who  take  the  trouble 
to  describe  the  species,  but  still  give  the  Linnean  binomial  as  a  syn- 
onym ;  we  may  give  Linne  here  the  credit.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Batsch  under  Embolus  crocatus  first  presents  an  unmistakable  de- 
scription and  figure. 

Maine  to  the  Black  Hills  and  Colorado,  and  north  and  west; 
Alaska  to  Nicaragua. 

9.    Arcyria  cinerea  {Bull.  )  Pers. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  3,  3  a. 

1791.     Trichia  cinerea  Bull.,   Champ,  de  France,  p.  120,  Tab.  477,  Fig.  iii 
1801.     Arcyria  cinerea   (Bull.)   Pers.,  Syn.  Fung.,  p.  184. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious,  ovoid  or  cylindrical,  generally 
tapering  upward,  about  2-3  mm.  high,  ashen  gray,  sometimes  with 
a  yellowish  tinge,  stipitate;  calyculus  very  small,  thin;  stipe  about 
half  the  total  height,  rising  from  a  small  hypothallus,  thin,  gray 
or  blackish,  densely  crowded  with  spore-like  cells;  capillitium  dense, 
freely  branching,  ashen,  or  yellowish,  little  wider  below,  minutely 
spinulose;  spore-mass  concolorous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  color- 
less, smooth,  6-7  jx. 

A  very  common  little  species,  easily  recognized  by  its  color  and 
habit.  The  capillitium  is  more  dense  than  in  any  other  species  and 
expands  less.  The  stipe  is  about  equal  to  the  expanded  capillitium, 
unusually  long.  The  Plasmodium  occurs  in  rotten  wood,  especially 
species  of  Tilia,  is  gray  and,  judging  from  the  number  of  sporangia 
found  in  one  place,  scanty. 


ARCYRIA  255 

BulHard,  /.  c,  gives  the  first  account  of  the  species  by  which  it 
can  with  any  certainty  be  identified.  By  some  authors  Clnthrus 
recutitus  Linn,  is  cited  as  a  synonym.  We  fail  to  distinguish  A. 
cookei  Mass.  from  the  old  type. 

Widely  distributed;  Maine  to  Alaska,  and  south  to  Mexico  and 
Nicaragua. 

10.  Arcyria  digitata   (Schiv.)  Rost. 

1831.     Stemonitis  digitata  Schw.,  A'^.  A.  F.,  p.  260,  No.  23  SO. 
1868.     Arcyria  bicolor  Berk.  &  C,  Jour.  Linn.  Soc,  X.,  p.  349. 
1875.     Arcyria  digitata  (Schw.)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  274. 

Sporangia  compound,  that  is  gathered  in  tufts,  number  3-12  or 
more  on  a  single  stipe,  the  clusters  themselves  scattered ;  individual 
sporangia  elongate  cylindric,  about  3-4  mm.  long,  ashen  gray  or  nearly 
white,  stipitate;  stipe  as  long  or  longer  than  the  sporangium,  stout, 
sometimes  showing  traces  of  consolidation  of  several,  sometimes  none, 
dark  brown  or  black;  capillitium  looser  and  more  expanded  than 
in  the  last,  the  threads  more  strongly  spinulose;  spore-mass  concolor- 
ous,  spores  under  the  lens  colorless,  smooth,  globose,  7.5-8  fi. 

Closely  related  to  the  preceding,  but  different  in  habit  and  on  the 
whole  larger  and  more  robust  throughout.  The  stipes  in  some  cases 
are  completely  merged  in  one ;  in  others  traces  of  coalescence  remain. 
The  number  of  united  sporangia  varies.  There  are  some  clusters 
before  us  containing  16  and  18  in  a  single  fascicle! 

Not  very  common.  On  rotten  wood  of  deciduous  trees,  especially 
south. 

New  England,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota, 
and  south  to  Nicaragua. 

Arcyria  bicolor  Berk,  k  C.  seems  to  refer  to  the  fact  that  the  spor- 
angia have  sometimes  an  ochraceous  tint.  Berkeley's  specimens  are 
from  Cuba.  Our  latest  specimens  are  from  Nicaragua;  the  form 
seems  not  to  be  reported  from  the  old  world. 

11.  Arcyria  pomiformis  (Leers)  Rost. 

1775.     Mucor  pomiformis  Leers,  Flor.  Herb.,  p.  218. 
1875.     Arcyria  pomiformis  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  271. 

Sporangia  scattered,  gregarious,  globose,  bright  yellow,  very  minute, 


256  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

.5  mm.  high,  .3  mm.  in  diameter,  stipitate;  stipe  short,  one-third 
the  total  height,  pale  brown  or  yellow ;  hypothallus  none ;  capillitium 
loose,  freely  expanding,  not  deciduous,  honey-yellow,  the  threads 
generally  wide,  4-5  /x,  toward  the  periphery  more  narrow,  2.5  /i, 
warted,  marked  with  blunt  spinules,  which  not  infrequently  pass 
into  distinct  transverse,  narrow  plates  or  half-rings,  free  ends  cla- 
vate  and  numerous;  spore-mass  yellow,  spores  by  transmitted  light 
smooth,  granular,  globose,  7-9  /x. 

This  species  as  represented  by  the  material  before  us  seems  con- 
stant in  size,  color,  and  microscopic  characters,  in  all  which  it  differs 
from  all  species  here  listed.  It  resembles  somewhat  Lachnobolus 
globosus  Schw.,  but  differs  in  habit,  habitat,  color,  the  capillitium, 
its  attachment  and  in  the  mode  of  dehiscence.  In  the  present  species 
the  wall  is  evanescent  almost  in  toto;  in  L.  globosus  is  it  remarkably 
persistent,  and  the  capillitium  is  adherent. 

Probably  rare.  Its  smallness  removes  it  from  sight  of  all  but 
tlie  most  exact  collectors.  Maine,  New  York,  South  Carolina,  Ala- 
bama, Missouri,  Iowa;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota;  Ontario; — Miss 
Carrie. 

While  usually  remotely  gregarious  a  collection  from  southern  Cali- 
fornia shows  that  on  occasion  the  entire  Plasmodium  may  pass  to  fruit 
with  narrowest  limits,  forming  a  stipitate,  compact,  globose  mass  of 
crowded,  super-imposed  sporangia  as  in  Oligonerna  nitens.  Set  Plate 
XX.,  Fig.  12. 

12.  Arcyria  insignis  Kalkbr.  &"  Cke. 

1882.     Arcyria  insignis  Kalkbr.  &  Cke.,  Grev.,  X.,  p.  143. 

1911.     Arcyria  insignis  Kalkbr.  &  Cke.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  240. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  clustered,  pale  or  bright  rose-colored, 
.5-1.5  mm.  in  height,  stipitate,  ovate  or  cylindric;  stipe  short,  .2-.4 
mm.  red,  with  spore-like  cells ;  capillitium  a  close  net-work  of  delicate 
threads  with  a  few  bulbous  free  ends,  with  faint  transverse  bands  or 
short  spinules,  or  nearly  smooth,  colorless  beneath  the  lens;  spores 
colorless,  nearly  smooth,  6-8  /x. 

Reported  from  Mass.  by  Miss  Lister.  Should  follow  No.  8 : 
apparently  a  very  delicate  form  of  the  common  species,  A.  denudata. 


HETEROTRICHIA  257 

3.     Heterotrichia  Mass. 

1892.     Heterotrichia  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  139. 

Sporangia  distinct,  stipitate;  the  peridium  simple  evanescent  above 
as  in  Arcyria;  capillitium  centrally  attached,  freely  branched,  the 
threads  within  very  slender,  without  broad,  anastomosing  to  form  a 
dense  peripheral  network,  and  everywhere  extended  to  form  short, 
free,  often  hamate  tips.     A  single  species, — 

1.     Heterotrichia  gabriellae  (Rav.)  Mass. 

Plate  XIIL,   Figs.   1,  1  a. 

1850.  Arcyria  gabriellae  Rav.  in  litt.  ad  Cooke. 

1892.  Heterotrichia  gabriellae  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.   140. 

1911.  Arcyria  ferruginea  Saut.,  var.  heterotrichia  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed., 
p.  234. 

Sporangia  crowded  or  gregarious,  oblong  cylindric,  ovoid,  at  first 
red,  becoming  yellowish  brown,  stipitate;  the  peridium  evanscent 
except  the  calyculus,  which  is  small  and  thin,  polished;  stipe  shorter 
than  the  expanded  capillitium,  pale  reddish  brown ;  capillitium  cen- 
trally attached,  showing  threads  of  two  sorts,  those  within  freely 
branching,  slender,  1-1^  /x,  marked  with  half-rings  or  ridges,  those 
on  the  periphery  very  different,  yellow,  broad,  5-6  ^,  forming  rather 
dense  reticulations,  with  abundant  free  tips,  acute  and  often  curved, 
the  whole  surface  here  minutely  and  densely  warted ;  spore-mass  red- 
dish yellow,  spores  by  transmitted  light  colorless,  globose,  7-8  fi. 

The  peculiar  double  capillitium  seems  to  separate  this  form  from 
the  true  arcyrias.  Some  difference  in  the  diameter  of  the  capillitial 
threads  in  different  regions  is  not  infrequent  in  the  several  species 
of  Arcyria,  but  that  difference  is  here  emphasized  and  rendered  yet 
more  striking  by  the  peculiar  free  tips.  The  present  forms  bear 
only  the  most  superficial  resemblance  to  A.  ferruginea  Saut.,  with 
which  species  it  is  in  some  quarters  sought  to  unite  it. 

Very  rare.  Collected,  as  noted,  nearly  fifty  years  ago  in  South 
Carolina  by  Ravenel,  it  was  more  recently  (1896)  again  collected  in 
Maine  by  the  late  Professor  Harvey. 

18 


258  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

D.    PROTOTRICHIACE^ 
A  single  genus, — 

Prototrlchia  Rost. 
1876.    PrototrUhia  Rost,  Mon.  App.,  p.  38. 
A  single  species, — 
1.     Prototrichia  metallica   {Berk.)   Mass. 

Plate  XVIIL,  Figs.  12,  12  a,  12  b. 

1860.  Trichia  metallica  Berk.  Hook.,  Fl.   Tasm.,  2,  p.   168. 

1866.  Trichia  flag ellif era  Berk.  &  Br.,  Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  3,  XVII., 
p.  56. 

1876.  Prototrichia  flag  ellif  era    (Berk.)    Rost.  Mon.  App.,  p.  38. 

1894.  Prototrichia  flag  ellif  era  Rost.,  List.,  Mycet.  2nd  ed.,  p.  206. 

1899.  Prototrichia  flagellifera  (Berk.  &  Br.)  Rost,,  Macbr.,  A^.  A.  S.,  p.  199. 

1892.  Prototrichia  metallica  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  127. 

1911.  Prototrichia  metallica  Mass.,  List.,  Mycet.,  2nd  ed.,  p.  260. 

Sporangia  sessile,  scattered  or  sometimes  crowded,  brown,  some- 
times with  a  rosy  tinge,  about  1  mm.  in  diameter;  peridium  a  thin, 
transparent,  iridescent  membrane,  bearing  in  its  inner  surface  the 
distal  attachments  of  the  capillitial  threads;  capillitium  of  numerous 
brown,  spirally  banded  threads,  which  take  origin  in  the  base  of  the 
sporangium,  become  subdivided  as  they  ascend,  and  are  at  length 
attached  by  their  tips  to  the  sporangium  wall ;  spore-mass  brown, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  minutely  roughened. 

This  curious  form,  with  its  spirally  sculptured  capillitial  threads 
attached  at  both  ends,  stands  intermediate  between  Dianema  and 
Hemitrichia  and  Trichia.  Berkeley  called  it  a  trichia,  ignoring  the 
attachment  of  the  threads.  Cooke  notes  this  as  sufficient  to  exclude 
the  form  from  the  genus.  But  it  remained  for  Rostafinski  to  make  the 
transfer  by  setting  up  for  its  reception  the  genus  now  adopted.  He 
preferred  the  later  (1866)  specific  name  as  more  descriptive.  Miss 
Lister  reverts  to  the  earlier  name  with  the  remark;  "Little  now  re- 
mains of  the  type  Prototrichia  metallica  Berk,  from  Tasmania;  but 
the  specimen  is  referred  to  Prototrichia  flagellifera  by  Rostafinski  who 
saw  it  in  good  condition." 

Not  uncommon  in  the  abietine  forests  of  the  West.  Alberta,  Ore- 
gon, Washington,  California,  Nevada,  Montana,   Idaho,  Colorado. 


HEMITRICHIA  259 

E.    TRICHIACE.^ 

Capillitium  marked  by  spiral  bands,  sometimes  scattered  rings, 
etc.,  the  threads  entirely  free,  or  at  least  loosely  branched,  and 
with  free  tips  more  or  less  nurqerous. 

Key  to  the  Genera  of  the  Trichiaceae 

A.  Capillitium  threads  long,  generally  united  to  form  a  loose  net,  centrally 

attached, 

a.  Sculpture  spiral 1.  Hemitrichia 

b.  Sculpture   reticulate 2.   Calonema 

B.  Capillitial  threads  shorter,  entirely  free,  though  sometimes  branched. 

a.  Threads,  elaters,  marked  by  spiral  bands  .         .  3.  Trichia 

b.  Sculpture  irregular  or  wanting      ....       4.  Oligonema 

1.      Hemitrichia   Rost. 

1829.     Hemiarcyria  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  183   in  part. 
1873.     Hemitrichia  Rost.,  Versuch,  p.  14. 

Capillitium  a  tangled  net  of  more  or  less  branching  and  anastomos- 
ing fibres  centrally  attached ;  the  sculpture  regular,  of  conspicuous 
spirally  winding  bands  or  ridges;  habit  and  color  various. 

The  species  here  associated  are  intermediate  between  Arcyria  and 
Trichia,  resembling  the  former  in  the  capillitial  net  and  the  latter  in 
thread-sculpture.  Fries  applied  the  name  Hefniarcyrieae  to  a  group 
of  trichias  so-called,  citing  H.  rubiformis  as  the  first.  In  his  Versuch 
Rostafinski  wrote  Hemitrichia  and  afterward  Hemiarcyria  in  the 
Monograph.  Massee  combines  the  genera  Arcyria  and  Hemiarcyria 
under  the  former  name. 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Hemitrichia 

A.  Plasmodiocarpous 

a.  Plasmodiocarp  net-like,  yellow  .        .        .  \.  H.  serpula 

b.  Imperfectly  plasmodiocarpous,  brown       .         .         2.     H.  karstenii 

B.  Sporangia   all   distinct. 

a.  Sessile;  very  short  stalked 

i.  Peridium  hyaline,  iridescent     .         .         .        .         3.     //.  ovata 
ii.  Peridium  opaque 10.  H.  montana 

b.  Stipitate,   generally   distinctly   so;   sometimes   nearly   sessile. 

i.  Yellow  or  ochraceous. 
*    Stalk   hollow. 

t  Small,  y^  mm.,  iridescent      .         .        6.  H.  leiocarpa 
tt  Larger,  1  mm.,  smooth  but  not  iridescent 


260  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

1.  Free    ends    more    or    less    abundant, 

8.   H.    clavata 

2.  Free   ends   none       .        .        .         9.    //.   stipitata 

*  Stalk  solid 7.    H.  intorta 

ii.  Not   yellow. 

*  Ruby    red 4.   //.   •vesparium 

**  Copper-colored 5.    //.  stipata 

1.  Hemitrichia  serf u la  (Scop.)  Rost. 

Plate  III.,  Figs.  4,  4  a,  4  b. 

1772.     Mucor  serpula  Scop.,  FL  Carn,  II.,  p.  493. 

1794.     Trichia  serpula    (Scop.)   Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Bot.  Mag.,  I.,  p.  90 

1875.  Hemiarcyria  serpula  (Scop.)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  266. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  often  covering  several  square  centi- 
metres, terete,  branching  freely  and  usually  everywhere  reticulate, 
rusty,  tawny,  or  bright  yellow ;  the  peridium  thin,  transparent,  with 
irregular  dehiscence;  hypothallus  none;  capillitium  variable,  a  tangle 
of  long  yellow  threads,  sparingly  branched,  free  everywhere,  except  be- 
low, spinulose,  the  free  tips  spinose,  acuminate,  spiral  ridges  three  or 
four,  with  traces  of  longitudinal  strise;  spore-mass  golden  yellow, 
spores  beneath  the  lens  pale  yellow,  globose,  delicately  reticulate, 
about  10  /x. 

Very  common,  recognized  by  its  bright  yellow  color  and  conspic- 
uous reticulate  habit.  The  Plasmodium  is  yellow,  at  least  upon  emer- 
gence, and  passes  almost  without  change  to  fruit.  Found  on  rotten 
logs  of  every  description,  on  the  lower  surface.  In  the  Mississippi 
valley,  the  lower  surface  of  planks  used  in  the  construction  of  side- 
walks appears  to  be  a  favorite  habitat. 

Common  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  south  to  Mexico  and  Nic- 
aragua. 

2.  Hemitrichia  karstenii  {Rost.)  List. 

1876.  Hemiarcyria  karstenii  Rost.,  Mon.,  App.,  p.  41. 
1891.     Hemiarcyria  obscura  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.   395. 
1894.     Hemitrichia  karstenii  Lister,  Mycetozoa,  p.  178. 

Fructification  plasmodiocarpous,  with  a  tendency  to  form  distinct 
sessile,  globose  sporangia,  color  brownish  red ;  capillitium  a  sparingly 
branched    network,    with    free    ends    few,    the    thread    marked    by 


HEMITRICHIA  261 

seven  or  eight  faint  spirals,  the  interspaces  narrow,  dull  red  in  color, 
and  2.5  /x  in  diameter;  spores  yellow,  delicately  warted,  10-10.5  fx. 

This  is  doubtless  a  very  rare  species.  In  the  description  we  have 
followed  Dr.  Rex,  /.  c,  as  being  more  to  the  point  for  American 
forms.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  American  material  may  after  all 
be  distinct,  as  discrepancies,  if  one  may  judge  by  descriptions,  are  not 
few.  Lister,  who  had  a  slide  from  Dr.  Rex,  considers  the  European 
and  American  forms  the  same. 

In  outward  appearing,  plasmodiocarpous  phases  of  this  species  very 
closely  resemble  forms  of  Licea  or  Ophiotheca,  and  are  in  consequence 
often  wrongly  labeled. 

Toronto ;  Montana — Anderson.    To  be  looked   for  north  and  west. 

3.  Hemitrichia  ovata  (Pers.)  Macbr. 

1796.     Trichia  ovata  Pers.,  Obs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  61,  and  II.,  p.  35. 

1863.     Trichia  abietina  Wigand,  Pringsh.  Jahr.,  III.,  p.  33,  Tab.  ii..  Fig.  11. 

1875.    Hemiarcyria  luigandii  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  167. 

Sporangia  crowded  or  sometimes  closely  gregarious,  subglobose 
or  turbinate,  shining  yellow,  sessile,  the  peridium  thin,  iridescent ;  cap- 
illitium  a  tangle  of  sparingly  branched  yellow  or  ochraceous-yellow 
threads,  rather  slender,  3-5  fx,  marked  by  one  or  two  prominent  spiral 
bands  forming  a  loose  somewhat  irregular  spiral,  the  free  ends  not 
infrequent,  inflated  and  rounded ;  spore-mass  yellow  or  yellow-ochra- 
ceous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  yellow,  distinctly  and  sharply 
spinulose,  but  not  netted,  10-11  jx. 

A  rare  and  beautiful  species,  distinguished  well  by  the  small  size, 
about  .5  mm.,  by  the  thin  iridescent  peridium,  as  by  the  microscopic 
characters  of  the  capillitial  threads. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  Persoon's  Trichia  ovata.  His  de- 
scription is  accurate  in  all  that  pertains  to  external  features,  and 
Rostafinski,  Jpp.j  p.  41,  explicitly  says  that  he  saw  in  Persoon's 
herbarium  specimens  of  the  species  bearing  the  name  cited.  Just 
why  Rostafinski  did  not  here  adopt  the  older  name  is  not  clear,  nor 
is  there  excuse  for  abandoning  Wigand's  name  were  Persoon's  invalid. 
According  to  Lister,  Trichia  nana  Mass.,  from  Maine,  is  the  same 
thing.  Persoon,  /.  c,  gives  a  synonymy  which,  in  the  nature  of  case,  is 
unverifiable,  the  specific  characters  being  microscopic. 


262  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   SLIME-MOULDS 

Fries,  Sysi.  Myc,  III.,  p,  187,  confirms  Persoon  and  takes  pains  to 
say  that  the  color  separates  it  from  T.  chrysosperma  with  which  it 
is  sometimes  compared. 

Rare.     Maine,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  Ohio,  Toronto. 

4.  Hemitrichia  vesparium    (B^tsch)   Macbr. 

Plate  III.,  Figs.  2  and  2  a. 

1786.     Lycoperdon  vesparium  Batsch,  Elench.  Fung.,  pp.  255,  256,  Fig.  172. 
1794.     Trichia  rubiformis  Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Bot.  Mag.,  I.,  p.  88. 

1875.  Hem'tarcyria  rubiformis    (Pers.)    Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  262. 

Sporangia  clustered  or  crowded,  rarely  single,  clavate  or  subcylin- 
dric  stipitate  or  sessile,  dark  wine-red  or  red-black  in  color,  the  perid- 
ium  in  perfect  specimens  glossy  or  shining  metallic,  opaque;  stipes 
solid,  usually  blent  together,  concolorous ;  capillitium  of  intertwisted 
slender  threads,  sparingly  branched,  marked  by  three  or  four  spiral 
ridges,  abundantly  spinulose,  the  free  tips  also  acuminate,  terminating 
in  a  spine,  the  whole  mass  dull  red.  Spore-mass  brownish-red, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  reddish-orange,  very  distinctly  warted,  sub- 
globose,  10-12  [x. 

A  most  common  species,  on  rotten  wood  every\vhere,  especially 
in  forests.  Recognized  generally  at  sight  by  its  color  and  fasciculate 
habit.  The  peridium  shows  a  tendency,  often,  to  circumscissle  dehis- 
cence, and  persists  long  after  the  contents  have  been  dissipated,  in 
this  condition  suggesting  the  name  applied  by  Batsch,  vesparium,  wasp- 
nest.  The  capillitium  is  remarkably  spinescent,  the  branching  of  the 
threads,  rare.  Rostafinski  describes  the  spores  as  smooth ;  they  seem 
to  be  uniformily  distinctly  warted.  The  Plasmodium  is  deep  red,  and 
a  plasmodiocarpous  fructification  occasionally  appears. 

Throughout  the  whole  range.  New  England  to  Washington  and 
Oregon,  south  to  Nicaragua;  Toronto. 

5.  Hemitrichia  stipata  (Schzv.)  Macbr. 

Plate  I.,  Figs.  8,  8  a,  8  b. 

1834.     Leangium  stipatum  Schw.,  N.  A.  F.,  p.  258,  No.  2304. 

1876.  Hemiarcyria  stipata   (Schw.)   Rost.,  Mon.  A  pp.,  pp.  41,  42. 
1894.     Arcyria  stipata   (Schw.)   Lister,  Mon.  Mycetozoa,  p.   189. 


HEMITRICHIA  263 

Sporangia  distinct,  crowded,  cylindric  or  irregular,  overlying  one 
another,  rich  copper-colored,  metallic,  shining,  becoming  brown,  stip- 
itate ;  peridium  thin,  the  upper  portion  early  evanescent,  the  base  per- 
sistent as  a  cup,  as  in  Arcyria;  capillitium  concolorous,  the  thread 
abundantly  branched  to  form  a  loose  net,  with  many  free  and  bul- 
bous ends,  pale  under  the  lens,  marked  by  three  or  four  somewhat 
obscure  spiral  bands  and  a  few  wart-like  or  plate-like  thickenings; 
stipe  very  short ;  spore-mass  reddish,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale, 
nearly  or  quite  smooth,  6-8  fx. 

This  species  is  known  at  sight  by  its  peculiarly  beautiful  tint  when 
fresh,  as  by  the  crowded  prolix  habit  of  the  singular  overlying  sporan- 
gia. The  netted  capillitium  and  the  evanescent  peridium  suggests 
Arycria,  but  there  are  abundant  free  tips,  and  the  threads  are  un- 
mistakably spirally  wound,  especially  in  the  large,  handsome  sporangia 
characteristic  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  is  a  boundary  form  un- 
questionably. The  stipe  is  generally  very  short,  about  one-tenth  the 
total  height ;  sometimes,  when  the  peridium  is  more  globose,  the  stipe 
is  proportionally  longer.  Specimens  from  Iowa  show  fructifications 
several  centimetres  long  and  wide. 

Not  rare.    New  England  to  the  Black  Hills  and  south. 

6.    Hemitrichia  leiocarpa  (Cke.)  Macbr. 

1877.     Hemiarcyria  leiocarpa  Cke.,  Ann.  Lye.  Nat.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  XL,  p.  405. 
1891.    Hemiarcyria  varneyi  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  396. 

Sporangia  simple,  obovate  or  pyriform,  rarely  almost  globose,  pallid, 
with  a  stem  of  the  same  color,  as  long  as  the  diameter  of  the  sporan- 
gium; spore-mass  and  capillitium  concolorous,  or  with  slight  ochra- 
ceous  tint;  capillitium  forming  a  loose  net,  the  tubes  branching  in  a 
reticulate  manner;  spirals  three,  thin,  prominent,  along  the  convex 
sides  of  the  tubes  mixed  with  a  few  obtuse  spines;  spores  globose, 
with  a  thin  membrane,  12-14  /x. 

Such  is  the  original  description  of  this  distinctly  American  species. 
H.  varneyi  Rex  should  differ  in  having  spirals  seven  or  eight,  and  spore 
only  6.25  ju,.  Mr.  Lister,  who  has  compared  types  of  both  species, 
declares  them  the  same!  The  present  writer  has  been  unable  to  se- 
cure authentic  specimens. 

Pennsylvania. 


264  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

7.  Hemitrichia  ixtorta  List. 

1891.     Hemiarcyria   intorta  Lister,  Jour.  Bot.,  p.  268. 
1891.     Hemiarcyria  longifila  Rex,  Proc.  Phil  Acad.,  p.  396. 
1894,     Hemitrichia  intorta  List.,  Mycetozoa,  p.  176. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  globose-turbinate  or  pyriform,  golden-yellow, 
stipitate ;  peridium  thin,  translucent,  shining,  opening  at  the  summit 
irregularly,  leaving  a  funnel-shaped  receptacle  below;  stipe  dark  red 
brown,  solid,  rugulose ;  capillitium  of  threads  sparingly  branched,  but 
looped  and  doubled  upon  themselves  and  constantly  intertwisted,  or- 
ange-yellow, 3—4  fi  in  diameter,  with  spirals  four,  sparingly  spinu- 
lose,  even  and  regular,  the  longitudinal  striae  conspicuous;  spores  in 
mass  concolorous,  under  the  lens  yellow,  delicately  warted,  globose, 
9-10  IX. 

Concerning  this  species,  Dr.  Rex  says:  "Externally  this  species 
resembles  H.  clavata  Pers.,  and  has  probably  often  been  mistaken 
for  it.  The  capillitium,  however,  in  its  structural  details  and  habit 
of  growth,  is  widely  different.  The  partial  untwisting  of  the  loops 
of  the  capillitium  by  drying,  after  the  rupture  of  the  sporangium, 
causes  it  to  be  projected  and  elongated  sometimes  two  or  three  times 
the  length  of  the  sporangium."  Outwardly  the  open  sporangium,  by 
the  projecting  free  tips,  reminds  one  of  a  trichia.  The  capillitium  is 
like  that  of  H.  vesparium,  but  less  rough,  and,  of  course,  different 
in  color. 

Rare.     Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia;  Ohio,  Iowa. 

8.  Hemitrichia  clavata  (Pers.)  Rost. 

Plate  IIL,  Figs.  1,  1  b. 

1794.  Trichia  clavata  Pers.,  R'6m.  N.  Bot.  Mag.,  L,  p.  90. 

1873.  Hemitrichia  clavata  Pers.,  Rost.,   Versuch,  p.   14. 

1875.  Hemiarcyria  clavata  (Pers.)  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  264. 

1893.  Hemiarcyria  ablata  Morg.,  Jour.   Cin.  Soc,  p.   30. 

1893.  Hemiarcyria  funalis  Morg.,  Jour  Cin.  Soc,  p.  32. 

Sporangia  clavate  or  turbinate,  gregarious,  scattered  or  crowded, 
yellow,  olivaceous  or  brownish,  stipitate;  the  peridium  generally  thin, 
evanescent  above,  breaking  away  so  as  to  leave  a  more  or  less  definite 
cup  beneath;  stipe  about  one-half  the  total  height,  reddish,  reddish- 
brown,  or  blackish,  hollow  about  half-way  down;  capillitium  various. 


HEMITRICHIA  265 

yellow  or  ochraceous,  made  up  of  slender  threads  more  or  less  freely 
branched  and  netted,  bearing  four  or  five  regular,  even,  spiral  plates 
which  project  sharply  and  are  generally  smooth,  the  free  extremities 
numerous  or  almost  none,  swollen,  or  simply  obtuse ;  spore-mass  con- 
colorous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale  yellow,  globose,  minOtely 
but  distinctly  warted,  8-9  fx. 

This  cosmopolitan  species  is  generally  one  of  the  first  brought  in 
by  the  collector,  its  color  and  comparatively  large  size,  2-3  mm.  high, 
making  it  conspicuous.  Nevertheless,  we  are  not  able  to  recognize 
it  in  the  descriptions  of  the  older  authors.  Rostafinski  quotes 
Schmiedel,  Icones,  1776,  as  affording  the  earliest  account  of  the 
species,  but  neither  his  description  nor  figure  is  definitive.  Even  Bul- 
liard  fails  us  here,  and  is  differently  interpreted  by  different  authors. 
Persoon's  description  is  none  too  good,  but  is  reenforced  by  Fries  and 
Rostafinski.  The  capillitium  is  variable  both  in  the  degree  of  smooth- 
ness presented,  and  the  number  of  free  ends,  and  the  amount  of 
branching.  The  spores  in  all  specimens  we  have  examined  are  re- 
markably constant  in  .'ize  and  surface.  In  typical  spcimens  free  ends 
are  easily  discoverable,  the  branching  forms  a  definite  net,  and  the 
perfectly  formed  capillitial  thread  is  smooth.  In  some  American 
forms —  developed  under  less  favorable  circumstances  ? —  the  net  is 
less  determined,  the  free  ends  are  many,  and  the  spirals  minutely 
rough.     Here  may  be  placed  H.  funalis  Morgan,  /.  c. 

Widely  distributed.     New  England  to  Colorado,  south  to  Mexico. 

9.     Hemitrichia  stipitata   {Mass.)   Macbr. 

1889.     Hemiarcyria  stipitata  Mass.,  Jour.  Mic.  Soc,  p.  354. 
1893.     Hemiarcyria  plumosa,  Morg.,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  29. 

Sporangia  scattered,  seldom  crowded,  obovoid  or  turbinate,  oliv- 
aceous yellow,  stipitate ;  the  peridium  smooth  without,  granulose  with- 
in, evanescent  above,  persisting  as  a  funnel-shaped  cup  below ;  the  stipe 
long,  reddish  or  blackish,  rising  from  a  small  hypothallus ;  capillitium 
of  threads  5-6  yu,  thick,  very  much  branched,  forming  a  dense  net, 
free  ends  none,  or  not  evident;  the  sculpture  as  in  H.  davata,  smooth 
and  regular;  spore-mass  yellow;  spores  by  transmitted  light  yellow, 
minutely  warted,  7-8  /x. 

This  form  corresponds  in   nearly  every  respect  with   H  davata, 


266  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

except  in  the  structure  of  the  capillitium.  The  color  is  rather  ochra- 
ceous,  dirty  yellow,  and  the  stipe  is  proportionally  longer  and  darker, 
but  the  form  of  the  net  is  positive  and  gives  to  the  species  a  de- 
cidedly striking  and  unique  appearance,  so  that  it  may  be  recognized 
by  the  naked  eye.  It  looks  like  an  arcyria  and  for  this  reason  Profes- 
sor Morgan  said  //.  plumosa.  Lister  regards  it  as  the  same  as  our 
number  8. 

Common.  Ohio,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  west;  south  to  Mex- 
ico. 

10.  Hemitrichia  MONTANA  Morgan. 

Sporangia  scattered  or  gregarious  more  or  less  closely,  globose, 
whitish,  sessile  or  very  short  stipitate;  the  peridium  opaque,  dull 
white,  persistent  below;  capillitium  deep  yellow,  the  threads  abun- 
dantly branched,  forming  a  compact  network,  7  fi  wide,  bearing  spirals 
five  or  six,  uneven  and  irregular,  or  anon  interrupted,  conspicuously 
spinulose  or  warted,  free  tips  not  lacking,  generally  inflated ;  spore- 
mass  yellow,  spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  nearly  colorless,  dis- 
tinctly warted,  10  ^i. 

Recognizable  by  its  peculiar  pallid,  sessile  sporangia,  as  by  the  in- 
ternal structure.  Perhaps  related  to  Herniarcyria  bucknalli  Mass. 
Our  specimens  are  from  Mr.  Morgan,  of  Ohio,  with  the  statement 
that  they  were  collected  in  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains,  Califor- 
nia, by  Mr.  S.  B.  Parrish ;  collected  later  from  Monterey  south. 

Common  throughout  south-western  states  to  lower  California. 

2.      Calonema  Morgan. 

1893.     Calonema  Morgan,  Jour.  Cin.  Sac,  p.  33. 

Sporangia  sub-globose,  crowded  or  superimposed,  irregular  sessile ; 
hypothallus  none;  capillitium  of  slender  tubules,  arising  from  the 
sporangium  base,  branched,  marked  with  branching  veins  in  an  ir- 
regular reticulation,  and  terminating  in  free  extremities.  Spores 
yellow. 

1.    Calonema  aureum  Morgan. 

Plate  XIIL,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b,  2  c. 
1893.     Calonema  aureum  Morgan,  /.  c. 


TRICHIA  267 

Sporangia  crowded  or  heaped  in  scattered  clusters;  peridium  thin, 
golden  yellow,  adorned  with  intricate  radiating  veinlets  capillitium 
of  threads  more  or  less  branched,  attached  below,  free  above,  the  sur- 
face to  the  very  tips  venulose,  interrupted  with  rings  or  fragmentary 
spirals,  the  apices  bulbous  and  obtusely  conical ;  spore-mass  yellow, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  bright  yellow,  covered  by  a  network  of 
interlocking  plates,  as  in  T.  favoginea,  globose,  14-16  /x. 

A  curious  form,  related  to  Hemitrichia,  much  as  Oligonema  is  to 
Trichia.  Related  to  both  the  genera  first  named,  but  distinct,  in 
the  peculiar  sculpture,  from  Hemitrichia,  and  from  Oligonema  in 
that  the  threads  are  not  entirely  free.  Professor  Morgan's  original 
determination,  founded  on  Ohio  materials  is  confirmed  by  material 
sent  us  by  Professor  Underwood  from  Alabama. 

3.  Trichia  {Haller)  Rost. 

1768.     Trichia  Haller,  Hist.  Stir  p.  Hel<v.,  III.,  p.  114,  in  part., 
1875.     Trichia  (Haller)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  243. 

Sporangia  distinct,  sessile  or  stipitate;  capillitium  of  distinct  elastic 
threads,  free  acuminate  at  each  end,  yellow  or  more  rarely  reddish 
or  brown;  spores  generally  yellow. 

The  trichias  are  easily  recognized  among  their  kind  by  their 
beautiful  spirally  wound,  elastic  capillitial  threads,  the  elaters;  these 
are  entirely  free,  about  3-4  mm.  in  length,  simple  or  only  rarely 
branched,  and  generally  acute  at  each  extremity.  The  spiral  bands, 
sometimes  called  taeniae,  are  generally  very  uniform  in  thickness, 
distance  from  each  other,  and  pitch,  and  in  many  species  are  further 
reenforced  by  minute  longitudinal  plications  running  from  one  spiral 
to  the  next.  Furthermore,  the  spirals  may  be  smooth  or  spinulose 
the  elater  uniform  throughout  or  enlarged  betimes  by  nodes  and 
swellings.  Taken  altogether,  the  trichias  with  the  species  of  the 
genus  next  following  exhibit  the  highest  degree  of  differentiation  at- 
tained by  the  Myxomyceles. 

Most  of  the  earlier  authors,  including  Haller,  used  the  generic  name 
Trichia  to  cover  a  variety  of  forms.  It  is  here  used  with  the  limits 
sketched  by  De  Bary  in  1859  and  1864  {Die  Myxomyceten),  and 
followed  more  exactly  ten  years  later  by  his  pupil,  Rostafinski. 


268  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Key  to  the  Species  of  Trichia 

A.  Sporangia,  in  tjpical  cases  at  least,  wholly  sessile. 

a.  Gregarious;  hypothallus  none. 

i.  Peridium  brown  or  reddish  brown. 
*Elaters    smooth. 

t  Spirals  even,  regular       .         .        .1.7".  inconspicua 
ttSpiials  irregular  ...  2.   T.  contorta 

**  Elaters  rough,  spinescent  .  .  3.  T.  ioivensis 

ii  Peridium  olivaceous  or  yellow. 

♦Elaters   smooth 4.    T,   varia 

b.  Hypothallus  distinct;  sporangia  crowded;   spores  reticulate,  band- 

ed, or  netted, 
i.  Spore-bands   pitted  ....  6.    T.   persimilis 

ii.  Spore-bands,  narrow,  plain       .         .         .         1.    T.  favoginea 
iii.  Spores   covered    by   a    delicate   net       .         .         S.    T.    scabra 

B.  Sporangia  stipitate. 

a.  Hypothallus   distinct 8.    T.   verrucosa 

b.  Hypothallus    none;    peridium    checkered    with    pale    reticulations. 

i.  Brownish    red    of   black       .         .         .  .        10.    T.    botrytis 
ii.  Olivaceous. 

*  Elaters    smooth            ....  11.    T.    subfusca 

**  Elaters    rough 12.     T.    erecta 

c.  Peridium  plain,  shining 13.    T.  decipiens 

d.  Peridium  plain,   dull  black       .         .         .        .  14.     T.  lateritia 


1.     Trichia  inconspicua  Rostafinski. 

Plate  HI.,  Figs.  5,  5  a,  5  b. 
1875.     Trichia  inconspicua  Rost,   Mon.,   p.  259. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  crowded,  small,  spherical,  ellipsoidal  or 
arcuate,  brown  or  reddish  brow^i,  sessile;  hypothallus  none;  capilli- 
tium  dull,  dark,  ochraceous,  the  elaters  long,  slender,  even,  about  3  /x 
wide,  the  spirals  three  or  four  rather  closely  wound,  the  apices 
attenuate,  acute,  sometimes  turned  to  one  side;  spore-mass  concolor- 
ous,  spores  pale  ochraceous,  minutely  but  distinctly  warted,  10-12  /a. 

One  of  the  smallest  of  the  Trichiae,  not  uncommon  in  the  Missis- 
sippi valley  on  decaying  fallen  stems  of  Populus — sp.  Distinguished 
at  sight  from  all  except  No.  3  following,  by  its  small  size  and  brown 
color.  Under  the  lens  the  long,  delicate,  finely  sculptured  capillitial 
threads,  with  fine  tapering  threads  are  distinctive. 

New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Mis- 
souri, Nebraska;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota;  Toronto. 


TRICHIA  269 

2.  Trichia  contorta  (Ditmar)  Rost. 

Plate  XIIL,  Figs.  7,  7  a. 

1811.     Lycogala  contortum  Ditmar,  Sturm,  Deutsclu  Fl.  III.,  Tab.  5. 
1872.     Tric/iia  reniformis  Peck.,  Rep.  N.   Y.  Mus.,  XXVI.,  p.  74. 
1875.     Trichia  contorta  Kost.,  Mow.,  p  259. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  or  crowded,  small,  ellipsoid  or  reniform,  arcu- 
ate, dark  red  brown,  sessile ;  hypothallus  none ;  capillitial  mass  ochra- 
ceous  or  dull  yellow,  the  elaters  few,  irregular,  the  spirals  uneven, 
irregular,  often  projecting  and  thin,  though  generally  flat  or  obscure, 
the  apices  more  or  less  swollen,  ending  in  a  curved  tip;  spore-mass  con- 
colorous,  spores  beneath  the  lens  bright  yellow,  papillose,  10-12  jx. 

This  species  resembles  the  preceding  in  color,  but  is  of  less  aggre- 
gate habit,  and  the  sporangia  are  more  plasmodiocarpous,  reniform, 
arcuate,  etc.  The  capillitium  is  also  distinctive,  the  sculpture  irregu- 
lar, uneven  with  general  lack  of  symmetry.  Our  description  is  made 
up  from  specimens  of  T.  reniformis  Peck,  which  appears  to  be  the 
American  form  of  Rostafinski's  species. 

Rare.     New  York,  Montana? 

3.  Trichia  iowenis  Macbr. 

Plate  III.,  Figs.  3,  3  a,  3  Z' ;  Plate  X.,  Fig.  S. 
1892.     Trichia  iowensis  Macbr.,  la.,  Bull.  Lab.  Nat.  Hist.,  II.,  p.  133. 

Sporangia  sessile,  gregarious,  spherical  or  reniform,  with  no  hypo- 
thallus, purple  brown ;  spores  and  spore-mass  yellow ;  elaters  with  three 
or  four  spiral  bands  unevenly  distributed,  and  with  occasional  infla- 
tions, sparingly  branched,  spinulose,  especially  where  inflated,  spinules 
long,  3-6  ju,  recurved,  often  bifid  or  trifid,  especially  at  or  near  the 
acuminate  tip;  spores  delicately  warted,  9-11  [x. 

This  species  occurs  not  rarely  and  is  found  on  the  bark  of  Populus, 
so  far,  exclusively.  7'he  sporangia  are  inconspicuous  until  opening 
by  fissure  they  display  the  yellow  spores  and  capillitial  threads.  The 
species  is  immediately  recognized  by  its  elaters,  whose  numerous  and 
lengthened  spinules  are  unlike  those  of  any  cognate  form,  remind- 
ing one  of  the  capillitium  of  Ophiotheca.  Related  to  the  two  preced- 
ing, but  distinct  by  its  spinulose  capillitium. 

Iowa,  Missouri;  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota. 


270  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

Trichia  andersoni  Rex  carefully  described  by  Morgan,  Myx.  Mi. 
VaL,  p.  38,  belongs  with  this  first  group,  four  small  species,  the  in- 
conspicuous. To  the  present  writer  in  each  the  structure  seems  dis- 
tinct. In  the  herbarium  a  small  bit  of  Anderson's  material  has  rested 
long;  but  it  must  not  be  lost  to  sight.  The  species  is  sure  to  be 
taken  again  in  the  cool  mountains,  somewhere  abundant;  as  these 
stretch  from  Alberta  to  far  Alaska.  The  capillitium  is  very  even 
the  taeniae  closely  wound,  the  elater-ends  often  furcate. 

4.     Trichia  varia  (Pers.)  Rost. 

Plate  IV.,  Figs.  3,  3  a,  3  *. 

1791.  Stemonitis  <varia  Pers.,  Gmel.,  Syst.  Nat.,  II.,  1470. 

1794.  Trichia  varia  Pers.,  Rom.  Neu.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  90. 

1829.  Trichia  varia    (Pers.)    Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,   p.   188. 

1875.  Trichia  varia  (Pers.)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  251. 

Sporangia  gregarious  or  sometimes  closely  crowded,  globose,  obo- 
void,  or  irregularly  globoid,  yellow^ish  or  ochraceous,  shining,  sessile, 
or  with  a  short  black  stipe;  hypothallus  none;  capillitium  of  rather 
long,  simple,  or  more  rarely  branched  elaters,  4-5  fi,  wide,  marked 
by  irregular  spirals  generally  only  two,  prominent  and  narrow  and 
in  places  remote,  the  apices  acute,  about  twice  the  elater  diameter; 
spore-mass  yellow,  spores  by  transmitted  light  dull  yellow,  12-14  /x, 
delicately  verruculose,  guttulate. 

A  very  common  species,  very  variable  in  form,  stipitate  forms 
occuring  anon  beside  those  which  are  irregular  and  sessile.  According 
to  Rostafinski  the  stipitate  phase  constitutes  the  T.  nigripes  of  Persoon 
and  other  authors.  The  capillitium  is,  however,  characteristic 
throughout.  The  two  spiral  bands  wind  loosely  and  irregularly  and 
present  an  elater  unlike  anything  else  in  the  group  except  the  same 
structure  in  T.  contorta,  but  here  the  elater  is  narrow  and  the  sculp- 
ture obscure.  Since  the  specific  distinctions  are  purely  microscopic, 
the  synonymy  beyond  Rostafinski  is  mainly  conjectural.  It  is  possible 
that  Fries  properly  applied  the  name. 

Common.  Maine  to  Oregon  and  California,  and  south  to  Arkan- 
sas and  Alabama. 


TRICHIA  271 

5.  Trichia  scabra  Rost. 

Plate  IV,,  Figs.  4,  4  a,  4^. 

1875.     Trichia  scabra  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  258. 

Sporangia  closely  crowded  upon  a  well-developed  hypothallus,  regu- 
lar, globose  or  turbinate-globose,  orange  or  golden  brown,  smooth, 
shining;  capillitial  mass  clear,  golden  yellow,  or  sometimes  rusty 
orange,  the  elaters  simple,  long,  4-5  /x  in  width,  the  spirals  three  or 
four,  closely  wound,  spinulose,  even  and  regular,  the  apices  short, 
acuminate ;  spore-mass  concolorous,  under  the  lens  spores  yellow,  cov- 
ered by  a  delicate  fine-meshed  network,  or  simply  spinulose  under  low 
power,  10-12  fj.. 

Generally  a  well-marked  species,  easily  recognized  by  its  regular  but 
roughened  capillitial  threads.  Under  a  1-12  objective  the  spores  are 
also  diagnostic.  To  the  unaided  eye  it  resembles  the  next  species  in 
both  color  and  habit.  Fructifications  two  inches  or  more  in  length 
and  half  as  wide  are  not  infrequent  on  the  lower  side  of  fallen  stems 
in  forests  of  deciduous  trees.    The  Plasmodium  is  white. 

Not  uncommon.  Maine  to  Washington,  Oregon,  Alaska,  and 
south  to  Missouri  and  Arkansas. 

6.  Trichia  persimilis  Karst. 

Plate  IV.,  Figs.  1,  I  a,  I  b.  I  c;  6,  6  a,  6  b,  6  c.  6  d. 

1868.  Trichia  persimilis  Karst.,  Not.  Saellsk.  Fenn.  Forh.  IX.,  p.  353. 

1869.  Trichia  affinis   De   Bary,   Fuckel,  Sym.   Myc,  p.   336. 
1875.     Trichia  jackii  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  258. 

1877.  Trichia  abrupta  Cke.,  Myxom.  U.  S.  p.  404. 

1878.  Trichia  proximella  Karst.,  Myc.  Fenn.,  IV.,  p.   139. 

Sporangia  globose  or  obovoid  or  irregularly  spherical,  shining,  gold- 
en yellow  to  tawny,  anon  iridescent  with  metallic  lustre,  sessile; 
hypothallus  thin,  but  usually  very  distinct;  capillitial  mass  ochra- 
ceous  or  tawny  yellow,  the  elaters  long,  even,  about  4  fi  wide,  the 
spirals  four,  more  or  less  spinulose,  generally  joined  by  longitudinal 
ridges,  the  apices  short,  tapering  regularly,  anon  bifurcate ;  spore-mass 
concolorous,  spores  by  transmitted  light  bright  yellow,  marked  by  an 
irregular  or  fragmentary  banded  reticulation,  the  bands  broad,  flat, 
and  pitted,  10-12  ii.     Plasmodium  said  to  be  white. 


272  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

This  species,  common  throughout  the  northern  world,  is  distinguish- 
ed from  its  congener,  the  following,  not  only  by  the  episporic  char- 
acter, but  generally  by  its  different  peridium  and  more  sombre  colors. 
It  never  shows  at  maturity  the  brilliant  golden  yellow  fluff  that  hangs 
in  masses  about  the  open  and  empty  vases  of  T.  favoginea,  a  fact  not 
unnoted  by  Batsch,  and  rendering  his  figure  and  description  so  far  de- 
terminable. 

The  episporic  network  shows  all  degrees  of  perfection  or  imperfec- 
tion, and  the  elater  also  varies  somewhat  both  in  the  apices  and  dis- 
tinctness of  longitudinal  striae.  The  several  synonyms  listed  seem  to 
have  taken  origin  in  a  recognition  of  some  of  the  more  pronounced 
variations.  In  any  event  the  American  form  T.  abrupta  Cke., 
with  bifid  apices,  belongs  here,  and  European  specimens  seem  to  show 
the  identity  of  forms  described  by  Karsten  and  De  Bary. 

Not  rare.  New  England,  Canada,  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  Alabama,  Missouri,  and  west. 

7.     Trichia  favoginea  {Batsch)  Pers. 

Plate  IV.,  Figs.  S,  5  a,  S  b. 

1786.     Lycoperdon  favogineum  Batsch,  Blench.  Fung.,  p.  257,  Fig  173,  a,  b. 
1791.     Sphaerocarpus  chrysospermus  Bull.,  Cham,  de  Fr.,  Tab.  417,  Fig.  4. 
1794..    Trichia  favoginea  (Batsch)   Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bot.,  I.,  p.  90. 
1875.     Trichia  chrysosperma  (Bull.)  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  255. 

Sporangia  closely  crowded,  cylindric  or  prismatic  by  mutual  pres- 
sure, obovoid,  sessile,  olivaceous  yellow,  smooth  and  shining;  the  perid- 
ium thin,  opening  above  somewhat  stellately,  persistent;  capillitium 
golden  yellow,  escaping  entirely  from  the  peridia,  and  forming  woolly 
masses  above  them,  the  threads  long,  even,  beautifully  sculptured, 
bearing  spirals  about  four,  usually  smooth  and  connected  by  light 
longitudinal  ridges,  the  apices  short  tapering,  about  equal  to  the 
width  of  the  elater,  6-7  /x;  spores  concolorous,  by  transmitted  light 
paler,  but  still  bright  yellow,  the  episporic  net  conspicuous,  the  bands 
narrow  and  high,  not  pitted  nor  fragmentary,  in  form  irregularly 
globose,  12—14  /x.    Plasmodium  yellow. 

A  common  and  beautiful  species  recognizable  at  sight,  after  the 
peridia  break,  by  the  aggregate   capillitium  constantly  in  evidence 


TRICHIA  273 

above  the  abandoned  vasiform  peridia.  The  figures  of  Bulliard  are 
unsatisfactory,  although  the  description  he  gives  and  the  name  he  sug- 
gests, still  current,  may  lead  us  to  concede  that  he  had  our  species 
before  him.  The  spores  are  larger  than  in  T.  persimilis,  and  the 
episporic  net  different,  the  "border"  wider.  The  Plasmodium  in  the 
latitude  of  Iowa  not  uncommon  in  woods  in  June,  after  emerging 
passes  into  fruit  in  the  laboratory  in  about  forty-eight  hours,  and  the 
rupture  of  the  peridia  follows  presently.  The  hypothallus  is  quite 
distinct,  extra-marginal,  and  in  substance  like  to  the  peridial  wall. 

Not  rare.  Throughout  the  northern  forests,  Maine  to  Washington 
and  Oregon,  south  to  Alabama,  Louisiana,  Mexico. 

8.  Trichia  verrucosa  Berk. 

I860.     Trichia  verrucosa,  Fl.    Tasm.,  II.,   p.  269. 

Sporangia  pyriform,  or  obovoid,  shining,  ochraceous  from  the  color 
of  the  contents,  stipitate,  more  or  less  botryoid  or  connate ;  stipe  twice 
the  height  of  the  spore-case,  reddish  brown,  simple  or  consolidated 
with  others,  weak,  inclined,  or  procumbent ;  hypothallus  distinct ; 
spore-mass  ochraceous  yellow,  the  elaters  simple,  with  smooth  tapering 
points,  with  spirals  three  or  four,  the  spores  beautifully  and  strongly 
reticulate,  after  the  manner  of  the  spores  in  the  species  preceding, 
with  the  meshes  generally  complete  and  always  large,  quite  variable 
in  size  12—16  /n. 

Rostafinski  quotes  the  species  {teste  Lister)  from  Chile.  Specimens 
in  the  herbarium  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa  are  from  Jalapa, 
Mexico,  collected  by  Mr,  C.  L.  Smith.  The  species  may  be  therefore 
expected  in  the  southern  United  States.  Berkeley  described  it  from 
Tasmania.  T.  superba  Mass.  from  description  would  seen  to  be  the 
same  thing. 

9.  Trichia  pulchella  Rex. 

1893.     Trichia  pulchella  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  366. 

Sporangia  solitary  or  in  groups  of  four  or  five,  bright  vitelline  yel- 
low, sessile ;  the  peridium  thin,  transparent,  opening  irregularly  above ; 
hypothallus  none ;  capillitium  bright  yellow,  not  emergent,  the  threads 

19 


274  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

narrow,  3-4  /n,  wound  with  spirals  three  or  four,  more  or  less  irregu- 
lar, smooth,  longitudinal  ridges  wanting,  the  apices  rather  long,  acu- 
minate, about  twice  the  diameter  of  the  elater,  or  anon  clavate  or  even 
globose,  bulbose  at  the  tip  and  furnished  with  several  stout  spines; 
spore-mass  concolorous ;  under  the  lens  spores  colorless,  marked  by 
a  very  feebly  developed  reticulation  of  T.  persimilis  type,  but  the 
bands  narrow  and,  as  shown  by  the  narrow  "border,"  low,  meshes 
few  and  often  imperfect,  globose  or  sub-globose,  about  12  /x. 

The  episporic  characters  of  this  species  ally  it  to  T.  persimilis  most 
nearly.  The  reticulations  are  possibly  not  more  divergent  from  the 
typical  form  of  that  species  than  are  the  same  features  in  some  other 
forms  there  included.  But  in  the  present  case,  added  to  the  episporic 
sculpture,  we  must  reckon  the  peculiar  capillitial  thread,  unlike 
that  seen  in  either  of  the  chrysospermatous  forms,  and  the  gregarious 
habit  without  hypothallus.  These  peculiarities  seemed  to  Dr.  Rex 
distinctive,  and  as  they  appear  constant  they  may  be  left  to  separate 
the  species. 

10.  Trichia  botrytis  Persoon. 

Plate  XIII.,  Figs.  8,  8  a. 

1791.  Stemonitis  botrytis  Pers.,   Gmel.,   Syst.  Nat.,  II.,   1468. 

1794.  Trichia  botrytis  Pers.,  Rom.  N.  Mag.  Bat.,  I.,  p.  89. 

1803.  Sphaerocarpus  fragilis  Sowerby,  Eng.  Fung.,  I.,  p.  279. 

1829.  Trichia  pyriformis  Fries,  Syst.  Myc,  III.,  p.  184. 

1875.  Trichia  fragilis  (Sow.)  Rost,  Mon.,  p.  246. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  sometimes  combined  in  clusters, 
pyriform  or  turbinate,  stipitate,  red-purple  or,  ochraceous-brown 
the  peridium  breaking  up  irregularly,  the  dehiscence  sometimes  pre- 
figured by  pale  reticulations  on  the  surface;  stipe  solid,  single,  or 
united  in  clusters  of  five  cr  more  together,  dark-colored,  red  or  purple- 
brown,  opaque;  capillitium  orange,  ochraceous  yellow,  or  even  red- 
dish brown,  the  threads  simple  or  rarely  branched,  long-fusiform, 
about  4  ju,  thick  at  the  centre,  tapering  gradually  to  the  long  accumin- 
ate,  apiculate  tips,  spirals  three  or  four,  even,  smooth,  rather  closely 
wound  and  traceable  almost  to  the  apex ;  spores  concolorous  in  mass, 
under  the  lens  pale,  globose,  more  or  less  closely  minutely  warted 
but  not  reticulate,  10-12  /x. 


TRICHIA  275 

A  species  remarkable  for  its  variations  in  color.  More  commonly 
the  unopened  sporangia  are  opaque  brown,  by  reason  of  a  dense  outer 
wall,  and  more  frequently  simple,  or  if  compound,  show  but  two  or 
three  united.  The  reddish  variety,  vinous  or  scarlet-black  in  color,  is 
remarkably  fasciate.  Some  clusters  show  twenty  or  more  stipitate,  glo- 
bose sporangia,  conjoined  by  their  distinct  but  coherent  stems.  In 
such  fruitings  the  sporangia  are  small,  .5  mm.  In  the  brown  sporan- 
gia the  dehiscence,  as  stated,  is  often  definitely  prefigured;  in  the 
multiple,  red,  obscurely,  if  at  all.  As  presented  in  collections  from 
the  eastern  United  States,  the  two  forms  might  well  be  disjoined. 
Persoon,  however,  discussed  both  together  and  so  they  remain. 

Saccardo  includes  Craterium  floriforme  Schw.  here. 

By  the  descriptions  of  the  earlier  authors  it  is  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish this  from  H.  vesparium  on  the  one  hand,  and  T.  decipiens 
on  the  other.  T.  botrytis  Pers.,  /.  c,  gives  us  first  secure  foothold. 
Fries  discards  Persoon's  appellation  as  unsuitable  and  improperly 
applied,  and  takes  up  what  he  deems  an  older  specific  designation, 
T.  pyriformis  Leers.  But  Rostafinski  is  certain  Leers  had  A.  punicea 
in  mind,  and  that  other  early  names  are  equally  ill-applied.  Rosta- 
finski rejects  Persoon's  names  simply  as  not  pertinent  in  every  case. 
Massee  examined  the  specimens  of  Leveille,  and  finds  them  belong- 
ing here;  but  see  our  No.  14,  seq. 

Not  common,  but  with  wide  range.  Maine,  Massachusetts,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Colorado ;  Toronto. 

11  Trichia  subfusca  Rex. 
1890.     Trichia  subfusca  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.   192. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  scattered,  dull  tawny  brown,  shading  to 
dark  brown  below,  about  ^^  mm.  in  diameter,  globose,  stipitate ;  stipe 
short,  about  equal  to  the  sporangium,  stout,  brown  or  brownish 
black,  rugulose,  solid;  capillitial  mass  bright  straw  color;  the  elaters 
long  cylindrical,  3-4  jx  wide,  adorned  with  spirals  four,  which  wind 
unevenly,  are  perfectly  smooth,  and  terminate  in  abrupt  tips  about 
twice  the  diameter  of  the  elater;  spores  yellow,  under  the  lens  yel- 
low, minutely  and  closely  warted,  globose,  12  fj.. 


276  THE   NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

The  spores  of  this  species  resemble  closely  those  of  the  preceding, 
but  the  sporangium  is  at  sight  different  in  appearance  and  propor- 
tions and  the  capillitium  not  the  same  at  all.  The  elaters  are  never 
fusiform,  the  apices  always  abrupt  in  their  acumination,  and  the 
sculpture  irregular  and  uneven.  In  form  the  elater  resembles  that 
of  T.  scnbra.  The  description  is  drawn  from  specimens,  N.  A.  F., 
2495,  with  which,  however,  specimens  received  from  Dr.  Rex  and 
later  collected  exactly  correspond. 

The  elaters  of  uniform  diameter,  the  apices  abruptly  narrowed  to 
a  blunt  point,  turned  to  one  side,  will  serve  to  distinguish  this  species 
from  the  whole  T.  botrytis  group,  some  forms  of  which  it  outwardly 
resembles. 

We  have  beautiful  specimens  from  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound. 

New  York. 

12.  Trichia  erecta  Rex 

1890.     Trichia  erecta  Rex,  Proc.  Phil.  Acad.,  p.  193. 

Sporangia  gregarious,  often  in  clusters  of  two  or  three  together,  but 
generally  single,  nut-brown,  checkered  with  broad,  conspicuous  yel- 
low dehiscence  bands,  globose,  ^  mm.  wade,  stipitate,  stipe  double 
the  sporangium,  dark  brown,  solid ;  capillitial  mass  bright  yellow,  the 
elaters  cylindric,  3-4  /i  wide,  terminating  in  apices  short  and  smooth, 
adorned  with  spirals,  four,  coarsely  spinulose,  winding  unevenly  or 
even  branching  and  so  united  to  one  another!  spore-mass  yellow, 
spores  by  transmitted  light  pale,  globose,  minutely  warted,  12  /n. 

Distinguished  at  sight  by  the  peculiarly  mottled  peridium.  T. 
botrytis  in  its  ochraceous  forms  sometimes  shows  tendency  to  the 
same  thing,  but  the  checkered  surface  is  here  conspicuous.  The  elaters 
resemble  those  of  the  preceding  form,  but  are  remarkably  rough. 

Rare.     Adirondack?,  New  York. 

13.  Trichia  decipiens  (Pers.)  Macbr. 

Plate  IV.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  2  b. 

1793.     Lycoperdon  pustllum  Hedwig,  .4bh.,  I.,  p.  35,  Tab.  iii.,  Fig.  2. 

1795.  Arcyria  decipiens  Pers.,  Ust.  Ann.  Bot.,  XV.,  p.  35. 

1796.  Trichia  fallax  Pers.,  Obs.  Myc,  I.,  p.  59,  etc. 


TRICHIA  277 

Sporangia  gregarious,  sometimes  closely  so,  sometimes  scattered, 
turbinate,  shining  olive  or  olivaceous  brown,  stipitate ;  stipe  gener- 
ally elongate,  concolorous  above,  dark  brown  below,  hollow,  i.  e. 
filled  with  spore-like  cells;  capillitial  mass  yellowish  or  olivaceous 
yellow,  the  elaters  perfectly  smooth,  long  fusiform,  tapering  gradually 
to  the  long,  slender  taeniate  apices,  simple  or  often  branched,  adorn- 
ed with  spirals  three,  w^hich  wind  evenly  but  somewhat  distantly; 
spore-mass  olivaceous  or  ochraceous,  spores  under  the  lens,  pale, 
minutely  delicately  reticulate,  10-12  ju,. 

One  of  our  largest  and  most  common  species,  in  form  and  size 
resembling  H.  clavata,  but  immediately  distinguished  by  its  color. 
The  capillitium  is  like  that  of  T.  botrytis,  but  differs  in  the  more 
open  sculpture  and  the  longer  and  smoother  unwound  tips.  The 
episporic  net  is  a  constant  character  in  all  the  specimens  examined. 
This  feature  reminds  of  T.  scabra. 

This  is,  of  course,  our  familiar  T.  fallax  of  all  authors  from  Per- 
soon  down.  The  earliest  unmistakable  reference  to  this  species  is 
Hedwig,  /.  c.  But  Batsch,  in  1789,  had  used  the  same  combination 
to  describe  a  real  pufif-ball,  so  that  Hedwig's  name  was  already  a 
synonym.  The  specific  name  here  adopted  is  next  in  point  of  priority, 
although  Persoon  discarded  it  the  year  following,  substituting  fallax, 
because  he  had  mistaken  the  genus. 

Not  rare.  New  England,  Toronto;  west  to  the  Black  Hills  and 
Washington,  Oregon,  California,  south  to  the  Carolinas  and  Kansas; 
Jalapa,  Mexico. 

14.     Trichia  lateritia  Lev. 

1846.  Trichia  lateritia  Lev.,  Ann.  Sci.  Nat.  Bot.,  3  V.,  p.  167. 

1875.  Trichia  lateritia  Lev.,  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  250. 

1892.  Trichia  fragilis   (Sow.)    Rost.,  Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  176. 

1894.  Trichia  botrytis  Pers.  var.  lateritia   (Lev.)   List.,  Mon.,  p.   171. 

1899.  Trichia  botrytis  Pers.,  Macbr.,  N.  A.  S.,  p.  216. 

1911.  Trichia  botrytis  Pers.  var.  lateritia  (Lev.)  List.,  Mycetozoa,  2nd  ed., 
p.  217. 

Sporangia  more  or  less  closely  gregarious,  {a)  simple  globose-tur- 
binate,  dull  black  when  dry,  when  moist  generally  with  a  vinous  tinge, 
1  mm.  in  diameter,  stipitate.  The  stipe  concolorous,  rigid,  erect,  simple 


278  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

even,  2-6  mm.,  or  (b)  multiple,  several  sporangia  united  by  their 
pale  brown  or  reddish-brown,  striate,  weak,  closely  adherent  or  united 
stems ;  hypothallus  small  or  none ;  capillitial-mass  bright  brick-red 
cut-off  from  the  stem-cavity,  such  as  may  be,  and  enclosed  by  a 
thick,  firm  opaque  peridium,  which  opens  above  in  fragmental  or  pe- 
taloid  lobes,  leaving  a  craterium-like  cup  below,  to  persist  in  flower- 
like fashion  long  after  the  contents  have  blown  away;  elaters  fusi- 
form, extremely  long,  to  50  fi;  about  5  /a  in  width  at  the  widest 
(middle)  point,  long  acuminate,  adorned  with  usually  four  clean-cut 
even,  regular,  taeniae,  uniformly  spaced  and  carried  forward  on 
the  progressive  acumination,  almost  to  the  smooth,  straight  spine-like 
point;  spores  in  mass  brick-red,  by  transmitted  light,  orange-brown 
almost  smooth,  10-12  ju,. 

This  showy  and  remarkable  species  is  set  out  from  T.  botrytis  Pers. 
with  which  it  has  been  more  or  less  closely  associated,  for  several 
reasons.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  easily  recognized  in  the  field,  by  its 
size,  color,  and  structure.  Often  simple  throughout  a  colony  entire, 
nevertheless  where  the  vegetative  development  has  been  stronger,  sim- 
ple and  multiple  fructifications  may  stand  side  by  side,  but  the  odd 
fasciation  is  generally  limited  to  few  sporangia,  perhaps  three  or  four, 
or  at  most,  half  a  dozen.  These  fasciate  forms  generally  shorter,  or 
less  erect.  The  elaters,  so  far  as  our  observation  goes,  are  the  longest 
in  the  genus  notable  for  their  beautiful  symmetry.  The  spores  are 
larger  than  in  the  red  forms  of  T.  botrytis  as  usually  presented, 
smoother  and  of  different  color. 

We  have  also  a  geographic  limitation.  Taken  to  Paris  first  from 
southern  Chile,  it  promises  to  be  a  Pacific  coast  species,  found  as  it 
now  has  been  in  North  America  from  San  Diego,  to  Vancouver.  In 
a  deep  forest  near  Monterey,  California,  a  half-buried  log  showed 
one  colony  a  meter  in  length  and  from  six  to  twelve  centimetres  in 
width,  hundreds  of  sporangia,  each  by  gentlest  explosion  opening  to 
display  its  tuft  of  bright-tinted  wool,  a  patch  of  color  visible  from 
far. 

4.   Oligonema. 

1875.     Oligonema  Rost.,  Mon.,  p.  291. 

Sporangia  distinct,  small,  generally  crowded  together  and  superim- 
posed ;  hypothallus  none ;  capillitium  scanty,  the  sculpture  rudimentary 


OLIGONEMA  279 

and  imperfect,  scattered  rings  or  mere  roughenings,  sometimes  im- 
perfect or  faint  spirals;  spores  yellow. 

The  oligonemas  are  simply  degenerate  Trichiae,  and  show  the 
vagaries  usually  to  be  noted  in  a  passing  type.  They  are  difficult  to 
define,  and  the  species  are  indeed  variable.  Those  here  listed  seem  to 
offer  constant  features  throughout  our  range. 

Key  to  Species  of  Oligonema 

A.  Spores  reticulate. 

a.  Sporangia  in  broad  effused  patches        .         .         2.     O.  bre'vifilutn 

b.  Sporangia  in  small  heaped  clusters. 

i.  Elaters   roughened,   no  distinct   rings  or  spirals, 

1.  O.  fiavidum 
ii.  Elaters  with  scattered  rings;  sometimes  faint  spirals, 

3.  O.  nitens 

B.  Spores   warted 4.    O.   fulvum 

1.     Oligonema  flavidum  {Peck)  Mass. 

1874.    Perichaena  flavida  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  p.  76. 
1892.     Oligonema  flavidum   (Peck)   Mass.,  Mon.,  p.  171. 

Sporangia  crowded  and  superimposed,  sessile  in  small  masses  or 
clusters  1  cm.  or  less,  bright  yellow,  shining,  the  peridium  thin  but 
opaque,  yellow;  capillitium  of  long,  slender  tubules  usually  simple, 
anon  branched,  even,  or  with  an  occasional  inflation,  the  sculpture 
confined  to  warts  or  small,  distinct  spinules,  roughening  more  or  less 
conspicuously  the  entire  surface,  the  apices  generally  obtuse,  anon 
apiculate;  spore-mass  yellow,  spores  under  the  lens  pale  yellow,  irreg- 
ularly globose,  beautifully  reticulate,  the  meshes  large  and  few,  as 
in  Trichia  favogineUj  12—14  n. 

This  species  is  marked  by  its  capillitium,  which  is  abundant  for  the 
present  genus.  The  threads  are  longer  than  in  any  other  species,  and 
not  infrequently  branched,  smooth,  or  more  commonly,  very  distinctly 
minutely  spinulose  throughout,  no  trace  of  rings  or  relief  sculpture  of 
any  sort,  the  spirals,  that  are  to  be  expected,  very  imperfect,  if  dis- 
cernible at  all.  In  habit  the  species  resembles  O.  nitens,  but  the  col- 
onies are  much  larger,  and  the  sporangia  higher  and  larger,  attain- 
ing 1  mm. 

New  England  to  Iowa  and  Nebraska;  south  to  Alabama  and 
Louisiana.     Toronto;  Miss  Currie. 


280  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

2.  Oligonema  brevifilum  Peck. 

Plate  XX.,  Figs.  5,  5  a. 
1878.     Oligonema  brcvifila  Peck,  Rep.  N.  Y.  Mus.,  p.  42. 

Sporangia  small,  cylindric,  dull  ochraceous-yellovv,  sessile  closely 
crowded,  sometimes  superimposed,  forming  large,  effused  patches  sev- 
eral centimetres  in  extent;  capillitium  exceedingly  scant,  consisting 
of  nothing  more  than  a  few  minute  threads,  very  short,  only  three  or 
four  times  the  diameter  of  the  spore,  smooth,  or  without  any  defin- 
able sculpture,  ochraceous ;  spore-mass  dark  ochraceous,  under  the 
lens  the  spores  are  brighter,  marked  with  reticulations  much  as  in 
other  species  of  the  genus,    10-12  fi. 

Probably  a  variety  of  our  No.  1,  but  constantly  collected. 

Separate,  however,  from  the  following  also  in  color  and  habit.  To 
the  naked  eye  the  fructification  suggests  Trichia  persimilis;  the  color 
much  the  same,  and  the  sporangia  similarly  congested.  The  peculiarly 
rudimentary  condition  of  the  capillitium  is  apparently  also  constant. 
Iowa  specimens  accord  perfectly  with  those  from  New  York. 

Rare.  New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  North  Carolina,  Iowa, 
Missouri,  Oregon,  Washington,  California;  Vancouver  Island. 

3.  Oligonema  nitens  (Lib.)  Rost. 

Plate  II.,  Figs.  8,  8  a,  8  b. 

1834.     Trichia  nitens  Lib.  PI.  Cr.  Ard.,  III.,  No.  227. 
1875.     Oligonema  nitens   (Lib.)   Rost,  Mon.,  p.  291. 
1883.     Trichia  pusilla  Schroet.,  Kr.  FL  Sc/iL,  III.,  p.  114. 

Sporangia  gathered  in  small,  heaped  clusters,  irregularly  spherical, 
bright  straw-color,  or  yellow,  sessile,  superimposed,  the  peridium  thin, 
smooth,  shining;  capillitium  of  short  elaters,  simple  or  branched, 
smooth,  adorned  with  an  occasional  projecting  ring,  often  with  faint 
spiral  sculpture  spreading  especially  toward  the  apices,  which  are 
blunt  or  anon  acute,  the  point  sometimes  flexed  or  bent  to  one  side, 
never  very  long;  spore-mass  bright  yellow,  spores  globose,  beautifully 
reticulate,  12-14  [x. 

Readily  recognized  at  sight  by  its  heaped,  shining,  or  glistening 
sporangia.  The  capillitial  threads  are  further  definitive,  and  serve 
to  distinguish  it  from  everything  else. 


OLIGONEMA  281 

The  range  is  wide,  probably  coextensive  with  the  forests  of  the 
country.  Specimens  are  before  us  from  New  England,  Canada, 
Montana,  and  all  intervening  regions,  and  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico; California,  Nevada, — Prof.  Bethel.  Yosemite,  shores  of  Mirror 
Lake! 

4.     Oligonema  fulvum  Morgan. 

1893.     Oligonema  fulvum  Morgan,  Jour.  Cin.  Soc,  p.  42. 

Sporangia  large,  sub-globose,  sessile,  or  crowded,  more  or  less  reg- 
ular; the  peridium  tawny  yellow,  or  olivaceous,  very  thin  and  frag- 
ile, iridescent ;  mass  of  capillitium  and  spores  tawny-yellow,  elaters 
simple  or  sometimes  branched,  very  short,  sometimes  with  thicker 
swollen  portions,  the  surface  marked  with  low  smooth  spirals,  in 
places  faint  and  obsolete,  the  extremities  rounded  and  obtuse,  usually 
with  a  minute  apiculus;  spores  globose,  minutely  warted,  10-13  fi. 

This  species  may  be  recognized  by  its  tawny,  irregular,  more  or 
less  crowded  sporangia.  Under  the  lens  the  warted,  not  reticulate, 
spores  are  diagnostic.  The  elaters  are  quite  constantly  marked  by 
imperfect  spirals. 

Our  specimens  are  from  the  author  of  the  species,  and  so  far  there 
are  none  reported  from  outside  Ohio. 


ADDENDA 

a.  This  volume  is  as  we  see,  a  descriptive  list  of  the  various 
forms  of  the  Myxomycetes  in  so  far  as  these  have  come  to  the  per- 
sonal  notice  of  the  writer. 

Each  form  is  designated,  as  is  usual  in  discussing  objects  of  the 
sort,  by  a  particular  binomial  name,  followed,  in  abbreviated  form, 
by  the  name  of  the  student  or  author  who  in  describing  the  form  in 
question  used  the  combination.  Thus  Stemonitis  splendens  was  first 
described  by  Rostafinski,  and  the  name  he  thus  used  is  applicable  to 
the  form  he  described,  wherever  found,  and  to  nothing  else. 

The  proper  naming  of  any  specimen  would  thus  appear  to  be  a 
very  simple  matter.  Such,  however,  is  often  not  the  case,  particu- 
larly where  we  are  concerned  with  species  long  familiar  to  science. 
Such  often  have  received,  at  different  times,  and  at  the  hands  of  the 
same  author,  or  certainly  of  different  authors,  different  names,  given 
for  various  reasons;  so  that  one  who  would  refer  to,  or  discuss,  a 
single  specimen  to-day  finds  himself  often  in  great  uncertainty,  con- 
fronted by  a  multitude  of  binomial  combinations  all  thought  to  refer 
to  the  same  particular  thing. 

By  general  consent,  of  course,  we  strive  to  ascertain  the  oldest 
name  on  the  list;  the  first  that  is  really  and  clearly  applicable,  and 
we  write  all  other  names  down  as  synonyms.  In  this  volume  a  list 
of  synonyms  often  accompanies  the  description ;  precedes  it,  showing, 
year  by  year,  the  history  of  the  case;  an  abstract  in  fact  of  the  title, 
as  at  last  approved.  The  preparation  of  such  an  abstract  is  very 
troublesome,  but  is  believed  to  be  worth  the  trouble;  must  be  made, 
indeed,  if  we  are  ever  in  our  discussions  to  be  sure  that  when  we 
speak  or  write  in  America,  we  are  dealing  with  the  same  thing  in- 
tended by  the  man  who  speaks  or  writes  in  England,  or  elsewhere. 

The  space  occupied  in  synonymy,  is  therefore  by  no  means  wasted. 
By  and  by,  if  we  succeed  in  establishing  a  nomenclature  on  which 
competent  judges  can  agree,  a  thing  not  at  all  improbable,  almost 

282 


ADDENDA  283 

now  attained,  the  lists  may  gradually  disappear  as  having  historical 
value  only. 


b.  Taxonomy,  in  any  field,  is  of  necessity  concerned  with  history. 
For  his  own  sake,  no  student  can  ignore  the  thought  and  work  of  his 
predecessors.  No  man  ever  sees  nature  in  completeness,  nor  even  the 
small  part  of  the  world  to  which  he  devotes  attention.  He  needs 
every  possible  assistance,  especially  the  observations  of  intelligent  men. 
The  present  author  rejoices  to  acknowledge  the  assistance  found  in 
volumes  written  in  Europe  during  the  last  two  hundred  years.  Such 
men  as  Persoon,  Bulliard,  Schumacher,  Schrader,  Fries,  are  de- 
servedly famous;  they  laid  the  foundations  of  mycologic  taxonomy. 
No  student  can  afford  to  miss  Elias  Fries;  his  genius,  spirit  and 
scholarship  entitle  him  to  the  recognition  and  sympathy  of  every  lover 
of  the  intellectual  life. 


c.  The  considerations  just  mentioned  may,  indeed  do,  sometimes 
act  as  a  handicap  to  the  American  student,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
he  comes  later  to  the  field  of  time.  He  must  naturally  defer  to  the 
decision  of  men  in  Europe  who  are  supposedly  familiar  with  original 
types.  An  American  specimen  is  presumably  the  same  as  one  occur- 
ring elsewhere  in  similar  latitude  and  environment.  It  becomes  evi- 
dent after  while  that  only  in  certain  instances  is  this  undoubtedly  the 
fact.  The  flora  of  the  American  continent  has  been  sufficiently  dis- 
joined in  space  and  time  from  Europe  to  permit  extensive  differentia- 
tion even  in  these  minor  forms,  so  that  we  have  indeed  in  the  groups 
we  study  many  species,  some  genera,  definitely  autochthonous,  more 
it  is  believed  than  are  now  suspected.  An  attempt  to  bring  a  speci- 
men under  the  terms  of  a  species  described  in  Western  Europe  is  not 
seldom  an  error.  It  becomes  evident,  as  we  go  forward,  that  m 
eastern  North  America  there  are  forms  not  only  not  described  in 
European  literature,  but  really  not,  part  of  European  flora,  not  even 
adventitiously. 


d.     Many  of  the  more  minute  species  with  which  this  volume  has 
to  do  are  very  elusive,  very  difficult;  for  one  reason, — perhaps  in 


284  THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 

itself  sufficient, — because  of  their  minuteness,  and  consequent  apparent 
paucity.  They  may  be  common,  but  none  the  less  seldom  seen.  The 
comatrichas  afford  an  illustration.  There  are  several  very  small 
species.  C.  pulchella,  C.  laxa,  C.  ellisii  may  be  mentioned.  C.  pul- 
chella  has  been  studied  nearly  a  hundred  years  and  has  a  synonymy 
accordingly.  In  1875  Rostafinski  in  the  material,  and  among  the 
descriptions,  thought  he  recognized  two  distinct  forms,  and  went  on  to 
give  them  names;  the  first  in  honor  of  Persoon,  C.  persoonii,  should 
show  an  ovate  or  ovate-cylindric  outline  with  acuminate  tip;  the  sec- 
ond should  be  truncate  and  represent  a  type  first  described  by  Berk- 
eley under  a  name  given  by  Babington,  C.  pulchella.  Berkeley's  draw- 
ing shows  a  sporangium  with  tip  acuminate !  Lilac  or  violaceous  tints 
attracted  attention  in  the  spores  of  C.  persoonii  only;  in  C.  pulchella 
all  is  ferruginous.  Curtis  is  especially  commended  for  noticing  the 
fact  in  describing  S.  tenerrima,  here  included  as  we  see. 

Comatricha  gracilis  Wing,  is  slender,  cylindric  and  has  small  spores 
hardly  reaching  6  /x;  should  perhaps  be  now  set  out  as  a  separate 
species;  it  is  evidently  purely  an  American  phase. 

Our  figures,  Plate  XII.,  16  and  \6a,  18  and  18  «,  show  C.  pul- 
chella and  C.  gracilis,  respectively,  extremes.  Plate  XIII.,  4,  shows 
an  ovate  form  not  very  unusual.  This  and  C.  gracilis  occur  on  living 
leaves. 

C.  ellisii  is  another  of  this  minor  series,  very  constant  in  its  delicate 
beauty,  but  approaches  C.  nigra  rather  than  the  others  here  discussed. 

C.  laxa,  as  the  name  implies,  shows  an  open  construction,  suggested, 
perhaps,  by  Rostafinski's  photographic  print,  but  better  brought  out 
by  Celakowsky,  Alyx.  Bohm.,  Tab.  2,  Figs.  7  and  8. 


e.  It  has  been  shown  ^  that  the  process  of  cell-division  in  the  spore- 
plasm  of  the  myxomycete  is  not  dissimilar  to  that  obtaining  under  the 
same  conditions  in  higher  plants.  On  this  supposition  we  have  expla- 
nation of  spore-division  in  Ceratiomyxa  and  can  understand  the 
adherence  of  spores  now  and  again  notable.  Once  the  latter  phe- 
nomenon was  thought  peculiar  to  the  genus  Badhamia;  but  the  un- 

1  Farr.  Cell-di'vision  in  Pol.  Mother-cells,  Cobcea  scandens,  Bull.  Tor.  Bat. 
CI.,  Vol.  47,  pp.  325-38. 


ADDENDA  285 

sculptured  epfspore  of  the  spores  of  reticularias,  tubiferas,  etc.,  sug- 
gest the  same  thing  and  more  recently  we  find  it  in  Dianema  and  in 
the  Stemoniteae;  even  Stemonitis  arrives  with  clustered  spores  in 
groups  of  four,  and  we  are  in  sight  of  a  generalization  wide. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  something  of  this  sort  was  observed  by 
at  least  one  student  long  ago.  Schumacher,  Enurn.  PL  Sell.  2,  p. 
215,  describes  Arcyria  atra  with  the  characters  of  an  enerthenema,  and 
says  "the  capillitial  threads  are  some  of  them  diffuse  and  bear 
spermatic  globules" !  Did  he  anticipate  E.  berkleyanum  ?  See  the 
text  under  that  species  at  p.  190,  supra. 


f.  In  a  paper  read  December,  1920,  before  the  Mycological  Divi- 
sion of  Section  G.,  A.  A.  A.  S.,  the  present  writer  discussed  briefly 
the  physical  principles  involved  in  some  of  the  more  striking  peculi- 
arities of  the  slime-moulds. 

It  is  argued  in  that  paper  that  the  shaping  of  stipitate  sporangia 
which  is  so  surprising  as  relating  to  the  ordinary  behaviour  of  fluid 
masses,  as  usually  observed,  is,  in  part  at  least,  referable  to  certain 
well  known  properties  of  fluids  generally.  For  this  discussion  those 
interested  are  referred  to  the  article  itself  in  the  November  number 
of  Mycologia  (N.  Y.). 

Sufficient  to  say  here  that  it  is  a  fact,  in  many  cases,  that  in  stipi- 
tate fructification,  so  far  as  observed,  the  stipe  is  first  to  take  form, 
and,  as  viewed  by  the  writer,  in  many  cases,  as  it  rises,  becomes  more 
and  more  a  most  delicate  but  definite  ectosarcate  capillary  tubule,  by 
which  ascends  the  spore-plasm  of  the  point  concerned,  to  such  level 
as  may  meet  the  immediate  conditions  of  pressure,  of  whatsoever 
source. 

It  will  be  interesting  in  this  view  to  note  the  resultant  shapes  as 
presented  in  the  sporangia  of  various  genera.  One  may  examine  for 
illustrations  Figs.  1,  3,  4,  7,  PI.  XX.,  with  the  thought  in  mind  that 
the  stipe  in  each  case  may  have  served  as  a  capillary  tubule  to  carry 
up  the  spore-plasm  to  the  position  in  which  the  spores  at  length  are 
found.  In  some  species  of  Hemitrichia,  for  instance,  there  are  spores 
or  spore-like  cells  found  at  maturity  in  the  hollow  stipe.  In  other 
cases  the  stipe  contains  refuse  matter. 


286 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN    SLIME-MOULDS 


The  capillary  theory  may  not,  probably  does  not,  play  part  in 
every  case.  It  would  seem  that  a  stemonitis,  for  example,  must  owe 
the  rise  of  the  spore-plasm  to  the  play  of  different  machinery.  Bre- 
feldia,  p.   154  above,  may  offer  suggestion. 


g.  On  page  two  of  the  introductory  section  of  this  volume  men- 
tion is  made  of  the  variety  of  colors  shown  in  the  vegetative  phases  of 
the  organisms  we  study.  This  fact  is  patent  to  all  observers ;  but  the 
identity  of  the  Plasmodium  making  the  display  must  be  ascertained 
by  painstaking  or  prolonged  and  repeated  observations.  This  for  the 
reason  that,  as  I  am  convinced,  only  in  comparatively  few  cases  is  the 
color  unchanged  during  the  life-history  of  a  given  fructification.  It 
may  sometimes  change  from  hour  to  hour  as  development  proceeds. 
The  color  designated  in  the  descriptive  pages  of  this  work  is  pre- 
sumably, unless  as  otherwise  set  out,  that  immediately  preceding  that 
of  the  maturing  fruit. 

As  suggestive,  and  as,  it  is  hoped,  contributory  to  better  knowledge 
of  this  phase  of  our  subject  a  list  of  species  is  here  subjoined  as  pre- 
sented by  my  colleague.  Professor  Morton  E.  Peck  of  Oregon,  who 
has  given  unusual  attention  to  this  particular  investigation. 


Species 
Physarum    sinuosum      . 
PJiysarum  serpula    .     . 
Physarum  virescens     .     . 
Physarum  cinereum      .     . 
Physarum  didermo'ides 
Physarum    notabile 
Physarum  globuliferum 
Physarum   leucopus 
Physarum    pulcherrimum 
Physarum  flavicoinum 
Physarum  <viride     .     .     . 
Physarum  luingatense 
Badhamia  orbiculata    .     . 
Physarella  oblonga      .     . 
Mucilago  spongiosa     .     . 
Didymium    crustaceum 
Didymium  squamulosum  . 
Didrrma  flor'iforme 
Stemonitis  fusca       .     .      , 


Plasmodium  Colors 
light  grey,  nearly  white,  ivory  white 
greenish-yellow;   yellow 
pale  greenish-yellow;  yellow 
watery  grey,  becoming  white ;  pallid 
watery  grey,  becoming  white;  blue-white 
pure  white 

greenish-yellow;   yellow 
light  grey 
dark  red 

greenish  or  brownish  yellow 
clear  yellow 

at  first  grey,  then  pure  white 
pale  yellow,  passing  to  white 
brilliant  yellow 
watery  grey,  then  white 
white 

pale  grey,  watery  white 
grey  tinged  with  yellow 
white  passing  through  blue  to  black 


ADDENDA 


287 


Stemonitis  smithii  .  .  .  . 
Comatricha  longa    .     .     .    . 

Comatricha  irregularis      .  . 

Comatricha  nigra  .  .  .  . 
Comatricha  typhoides 

Diachaea  splendens  .  .  . 
Enerthenema  papillatum 

Reticularia  lycoperdon  .  . 
Dictydiaethalium   plumbeum 

Lindbladia    effusa    .    .    .    . 
Tubifera  ferruginosa    .    .     . 
Cribraria   dictydioides 
Cribraria    tenella      ,     .     .     . 
Cribraria  cuprea     .... 

Arcyria  nutans 

/Ircyria  denudata  .  .  .  . 
Arcyria  cinerea  .  .  .  . 
Trichia  varia 


green  to  yellow  to  reddish  purple 

white,  cream-yellow,   reddish  purple  to 
dusky 

white 

white 

bluish  white 

pure  white 

colorless  or  greenish 

white 

colorless,  pink,    salmon,  rose,    orange,    choc- 
olate brown 

brown,  lead-colored 

watery  white,  scarlet,  brown,  almost  black 

clear  dark  green 

watery,  dark  plumbeous,  bronze 

red 

white 

watery  white,  then  flesh-color 

grey,  then  white 

colorless,  then  white 


h.  In  a  few  instances  references  to  illustration  do  not  find  place 
in  connection  with  the  descriptive  matter.  One  phase  of  Physarum 
albescens  is  figured  on  PI.  III.;  Mucilago  will  be  found  portrayed  on 
PI.  VII.;  Physarum  viride  on  PI.  VIII. 


j.  The  group  before  us  has  research  possibilities  not  a  few.  The 
question  of  their  nutrition  and  its  limits  in  respect  of  variety,  is 
yet  to  be  solved.  From  present  indications  all  that  can  be  said  is  to 
the  effect  that  a  pabulum  similar  in  variety,  no  doubt  meets  the 
needs  of  many  species.  Whether  in  artificial  culture  a  single  base 
as  gelatin  or  agar  would  suffice  for  all  or  several  is  yet  to  be  dis- 
covered. 

Whether  a  species  brought  from  spore  to  maturity  on  artificial 
diet  would  conform  in  any  reasonable  way  to  our  dim  concept  of  its 
identity  is  also,  it  would  seem,  a  problem.  The  variation  in  the 
field  would  seem  to  make  it  doubtful. 

From  the  table  immediately  preceding  it  is  plain  that  there  is 
place  for  doubt.  Color  it  is  surmised  is  of  itself  everywhere  inci- 
dental; the  structure,  which  maintains  identity  or  the  reverse,  lies 


288  THE   NORTH   AMERICAN    SLIME-MOULDS 

deeper,  although  color  may  be  none  the  less,  in  some  way  a  result- 
ant, and  therefore  in  so  far  a  reliable  taxonomic  guide. 

The  treatment  of  our  subject  so  far  by  no  means  exhausts  the 
possibilities  of  even  the  simpler  phases  of  microscopic  study.  We 
have  endeavored  to  appreciate  the  work  of  those  who  hand  us  the 
literature  of  the  group,  and  to  recognize  what  such  keen-eyed  men 
have  seen ;  but  in  our  western  and  southern  forests  there  are  proba- 
bly double  as  many  species,  as  species  go,  as  we  have  listed. 

The  entire  group  is,  as  it  would  seem,  in  highest  measure  worthy  of 
investigation  and  comprehension,  and  should  it  at  any  time  prove 
that  to  such  accomplishment  the  present  volume  may  have  been 
in  any  smallest  way  contributory,  the  author's  satisfaction  will  be 
complete  indeed. 


INDEX 


NATURAL  ORDERS,  Etc. 


PAGE 

Cribrariales 199 

exospore^ 18 

Lycogalales       232 

Physarales 22 


page 

PHYTOMYXINi^ 17 

Stemonitales 148 

Trichiales 236 


GENERA 


page 
Alwisia 208 

Aliu'is;  personal. 
Amauroch^te 11-8 

afiavpd-,   dusky,  and   X'^'t?/,  hair. 

Gr. 
Arcyria 247 

apKvov  a  net.     Gr. 
Badhamia 313 

C.  D.  Badham;  personal. 
Brefeldia       154 

O,  Brefeld;  personal. 
Calonnema 2(,6 

Ka?.6-, beautiful,    and  ''/,"«,  a 

thread.     Gr. 
Ceratiomyxa 18 

KEpdrlov,  a  small   horn,  and 

fiv^a,  mucus.     Gr. 

ClENKOWSKIA 110 

Leon   Cienkoivski;  personal 

Clastoderma 191 

KlaoT6-,  broken,     and  ')^/J//rt, 
dermis,  skin  or  covering.     Gr. 

COLLODERMA 147 

KoAAa,  glue,  and  <"i>,"<',  der- 
mis, covering. 

COMATRICHA 171 

i^o/tr/,  and  ffi'i,  both    words 

meaning  hair.     Gr. 
Craterium 103 

KpiiT'/p,  a  vessel.    Gr. 
Cribraria 216 

cribrum,  a  sieve.     Lat. 

20 


PAGE 

DiACHAEA 185 

rfiax«w,  to  pour  out;  the  ap- 
plication not  patent.     Gr. 

DiANEMA 238 

^la,  through  or  across,  and 
vf/fia,  thread.     Gr. 

Dictydium 230 

diKTvnv,  a  net.     Gr. 

Dictydi^thalium 215 

Dictydium  and  asthalium ;  the 
latter  from  aiHa'/JK,  sooty. 
Gr. 

DiDERMA 129 

<5'r,  twice    or    twofold,    and 

c^ipfia,  as  above.  Gr. 
DiDYMIUM 115 

di^vnoc,  double.  Gr. 
ECHINOSTELIUM 198 

fX'"or,     a     sea-urchin,      and 

aTTjliov,      (?),    a   handle    or 

stem.     Gr. 
Enerthenema 189 

ivepOe,    below,     and    ''//'«,    a 

thread. 
Enteridium 211 

h'Tipov  the  intestine.    Gr. 
FULIGO 23 

fuligo,  soot.     Lat. 
Hemiarcyria 259 

>/f'i,  half,  and  Arcyria. 
Hemitrichia 259 

Wl,  half,  and  Trichia. 


289 


290 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Heterotrichia 256 

erepor,    other,  and  Trichia. 
Lachnobolus 245 

Mvxor,  woolly,  and  /Sw'^r,  a 

lump.     Gr. 
Lamproderma 191 

?.afj7rp6r,  shining,    and  (^tpfia, 

as  above.     Gr. 
Leocarpus Ill 

^lo-,     smooth,    and  napTro-, 

fruit.     Gr. 
Lepidoderma       144 

leTzi-,  a  scale,    and  (Sen/ua,   a 

covering.    Gr. 
Licea 199 

said    to  be  Latin;    licium,  a 

thrum,  a  girdle. 

LiNDBLADIA 203 

A.  Lindblad;  personal. 
Lycogala 233 

IvKo^,   a    wolf,    and  yala,  a, 

milk.    Gr, 
Margarita 237 

fiapyapLTi/-,  a  pearl.     Gr. 
Mucilago 113 

mucilago,  musty  juice.    Lat. 
Oligonema 278 

bliyocr,      few,      and  vijfia,    a 

thread.    Gr. 


page 
Ophiotheca 240 

ooT,   a    serpent,    and  Otjkj],   a 

case.     Gr. 
Orcadella 203 

opx-fi,  a  cask  (  ?).   Diminutive. 

PERICHitNA 242 

~i:'pi,  around,   and  x"'*'^"',   to 

crack  open.    Gr. 
Physarum 45 

(p'van,    a    bladder,    something 

inflated. 
Physarella 71 

Diminutive  of  Physarum. 
Plasmodiophora 17 

nAciafia,    something     formed, 

and  0o/)(\-,   that  bears.    Gr. 
Prototrichia 257 

TTpwro-,  first,  and   Trichia. 
Reticularia 209 

reticulum,  a  small  net.     Lat. 
Stemonitis 156 

Like  a  stamen. 
Tilmadoche 95 

TtA//n,  lint,  andf^ox'),  contain- 
ing.    Gr. 
Trichia 267 

o<pi^,  hair.     Gr, 

TUBIFER.A 205 

tubus,    a   tube,    and   fero,   I 
bear.    Lat. 


GENERA  AND  SPECIES 


Mthaliopsis,   26. 

stercoriformis  Zopf.,  27. 
^thulium,  23. 

flavum  Link.,  27. 

septicum  Ft.,  27. 
Alwisia,  208. 

bombarda  Berk.  &  Br.,  208. 
Amauroch^te,   148. 

aira  (Alb.  &  Schw.)  Rost.,  6,  149. 

cribrosa  (Fr.)   Macbr.,  150. 

fuliginosa    {Soiv.)    Macbr.,   149. 

tubulina  (Alb.  Gf  Schiv.)  Macbr., 
150. 

minor  Sacc.  &  Ell.,  145. 
Angioridium,  52. 

sinuosum  Grev.,  52. 


Arcyria,  247. 

albida   Pers.,   245. 
bicolor   Berk.  &  C,  255. 
cinerea    {Bull.)   Pers.,  254. 
conglobosa  Macbr.,  255. 
decipiens  Pers.,  276. 
denudata   {L.)   Sheld.,  253. 
digitata    (Schiv.)    Rost.,  255. 
ferruginea  Sauter.,  253. 
flava    Pers.,    249. 
gabriellae  Rav.,  257. 
globosa  Schw.,  245. 
incarnata  Pers.,   6,  251. 
insignis  Kalchbr.  &  Cke.,  256. 
Icucocephala  Pers.,  105. 
magna  Rex,  248. 


INDEX 


291 


nodulosa  Macbr.,  252. 

nutans   {Bull.)    Grcv.,  249. 

oerstedtii  Rost.,  249. 

ponniformis   [Leers)  Rost.,  255. 

punicea  Pers.,   253. 

st'tpata,  List.,  262. 

versicolor  PhilL,  250. 

vitellina  Phill.,  250. 
Badhamia,  31. 

affinis  Rost.,  35. 

capsulifera  (Bu//.)  Berk.,  38,  40. 

chrysotricha  B^tj^.   &  C,  34 

decipiens   {Curt.)  Berk.,  34. 

decipiens  Berk.,  49,   63. 

foliicola  G.  Lij/.,  39. 

gracilis  var.  Macbr.,  37. 

hyalina    (Pers.)    Berk.,   40. 

iowensis  Macbr.,  36. 

inaurata  Currey,  34. 

lilacina   (/^r.)   12oj/.,  65. 

macrocarpa    {Ces.)    Rost.,   37. 

macrocarpa  Rost.,  37. 

magna  P^c^,   38. 

nitens  B^r^.,  34. 

nodulosa  Mass.,  51. 

orbiculata  Rex,  37. 

ovispora   Rac'tb.,   33. 

panicea  {Fr.)   Rost.,  35,  51. 

papaveracea  Berk.  &  R.,  42. 

penetrans  Cke.  &  Ell.,  177. 

populina  List.,  41. 

rubiginosa   {Che<v.)   Rost.,  43. 

subaquila  Macbr.,  44. 

utricularis    (B«//.)    B^r^.,   39. 

iiaria  Mass.,   38. 

verna  Fries,  51. 

versicolor  List.,  33. 
Brefeldia,  154. 

maxima    {Fr.)    Rost.,   154. 
Byssus. 

fruticulosa  Fl.   Dan.,   19. 
Calonema,  266. 

aureum  Morg.,  266. 
Ceratiomyxa,   18. 

arbuscula  Berk  &  Br.,  20. 

filiforma  Berk  &  Br.,  20. 

fruticulosa    {Muell.)   Macbr.,  19. 


mucida  Schroet,  19,  21. 

porioides   {Alb.  &  Sc/iiv.) 
Schroet.,  19,  20,  21 
Ceratium, 

hydnoides  Alb.  &  Schw.,  19. 

porioides  Alb.  &  Schw.,  19,  20. 
Chondrioderma,   see  Diderma. 

aculeatum  Rex,   139. 

calcareum  Rost.,  95. 

crustaceum    (Peck)    Berl.,   135. 

globosum   (Pers.)   Rost.,  134. 

michelii  (Lib.)   Rost.,  138. 

niveum  Rost.,   137. 

radiatum    (L.)    Rost.,   141. 

reticulatum  Rost.,   131. 

roanense  Rex,  141. 

rugosum  Rex,   144 

sauteri  Rost.,   139. 

stromateum   (Link.)  Rost.,  132. 

testaceum    (Schrad.)    Rost.,   137. 

trevelyani    (Grev.)    Rost,   142. 
ClENKOWSKIA,    110. 

reticulata  {Alb.  &  Schiv.)  Rost., 
49,  111. 
Ciontum, 

xanthopus  Ditm.,  123. 
Clastoderma,  191. 

debaryanum   Blytt.,    191. 
Clathroptychium,  215. 

rugulosum    (Wallr.)    Rost.,  215. 
Clathrus. 

adnatus  Batsch,  251. 

denudatus  L.,  253. 

ramosus  Retz.,   193. 
Clavaria,  19. 

byssoides  Bull.,   19. 

puccinia  Batsch,   19. 
Colloderma,   147. 

oculatum   {Lipp.)    G.  List.,  147. 
Comatricha,  171. 

aequalis  Peck,   180. 

caespitosa  Sturg.,  173. 

crypta  Schw.,   127. 

cylindrica    {Bilgr.)    Macbr.,   173. 

elegans   {Racib.)   G.  List.,  182. 

ellisiana  (Cke.)   Ell.  &  Ev.,  177. 

ellisii  Morg.,  184. 


292 


INDEX 


flaccida    {List.)    Morg.,   174. 

fr'tesiana    (DBy.)   Rost.,   128. 

gracilis  Wing,    183. 

irregularis  Rrx,   176. 

iaxa  Rosl.,  177,   184. 

longa  Peck,   175. 

nigra    {Pers.)    Schroct.,  178,   184. 

obtusata  (Preuss.)  List.,  179,  190. 

persoonii  Rost.,    183. 

pulchella    {Bab.)    Rost.,  183. 

rubens  List.,  183. 

shimekiana  Macbr.,   144. 

stemonitis    (Scop.)    Shel.,    181. 

subcaespitosa  Peck,    132. 

suksdorfil  Ell.  &  Ev.,  178. 

typhina   (Pers.)    Rost,   181. 

typhoides  {Bull.)  Rost.,  163,  181. 
Cornuvia,  240,  241. 

circumscissa  (Wallr.)  Rost.,  241. 

ivrightii  (Berk.  &  C.)  Rost.,  241. 
Crateriachaea. 

crateriachaea  mutabilis  Rost.,  99. 
Craterium,  73. 

aureum    {Sc/ium.)    Rost.,  104. 

citrinellum  List.,   37. 

concinnum  Rex,  107. 

confusum  Mass.,  79. 

convivale    (Batsch)    Morg.,    105. 

cylindricum  Mass.,   106. 

leucocephalum    {Pers.)    Ditm,, 
105,  106. 

lilacinum   Mass.,   65. 

maydis  Morg.,  91. 

minimum  Berk.  Gf  C,  106. 

minutura   {Leers)  Fr.,  107,   108. 

mutabile  Fr.,  104. 

nodulosum  (C.  &  B.)   Morg.,  51. 

obo'vatum  Peck,  70. 

Paraguay ense   (Speg.)    List.,  103. 

pedunculatum    Trent.,     58,     107, 
108. 

rubescens   Rex,    103. 

rubiginosum   Mass.,   70. 

vulgar e  Ditm.,   107. 
Cribraria,  216. 

argiilacea  Pers.,  218. 

aurantiaca  Sc/irad.,  221. 


cernua  Pers.,  230. 

cuprea  Morg.,  229. 

dictydioides  Cke.   &  Balf.,  222. 

elegans  Berk.   &  C,  228. 

intricata    {Schrad.)    Rost.,  223. 

languescens  Rex,  229. 

macrocarpa  Schrad.,  219. 

microcarpa    {Schrad.)   Pers.,  226. 

microscopica  Berk  &  C,  220. 

minima  Berk.  &  C,  220. 

minutissima  Schiv.,  220. 

piriformis    Schrad.,    228. 

purpurea  Schrad.,  228. 

rufa    {Roth)   Rost.,  220. 

splendens  (Schrad.)   Pers.,  221. 

tenella  Schrad.,  225. 

violacea  Rex,  227. 

vulgaris    Schrad.,   222. 
Cytidium. 

melleum    (Berk.    &   Br.)    Morg., 
65. 

ravenelii  (Berk.  &  C.)  Morg.,  48. 

rufipes    (Alb.    &   Schw.)    Morg., 
50. 
Dermodium,  236. 

conicum    (Pers.)   Rost,  236. 

DiACHAEA,    185. 

bulbillosa    {Berk.   &  Br.)   List., 
188. 

caespitosa  List.,   173. 

cylindrica  (Bilgr.)   List,  173. 

elegans  Fr.,   186. 

leucopodia    {Bull.)    Rost.,   186. 

splendens  Peck,   187. 

subsessilis  Pk.,   187. 

thomasii  Rex,  173,  188. 
DiANEMA,  238. 

andersoni  Morg.,  239. 

corticatum   List.,   238. 

harveyi  Rex,  238. 
DiCTYDIAETHALIUM,    215. 

plumbeum    {Schum.)    List.,  215. 
DiCTYDIUM,   230. 

cancellatum    {Batsch)   Macbr.,  6, 

230. 
cancellatum  cancellatum  Macbr., 
231 


INDEX 


293 


cancellatum    purpureum    Macbr., 

232 

173. 
cancellatum   prolatum  Macbr., 

232 
cernuum  Nees,  230. 
longipes  Morg.,  231. 
microcarpon  Schrad.,  226. 
splendens   Schrad.,   221. 
umbilicatum   Schrad.,   230. 

DiDERMA,    129. 

albescens  Phill.,   137. 
asteroides  List.,   143. 
brunneolum  Phill.,   58. 
cinereum  Morg.,   138. 
citrinum  Peck,  37. 
conglomeratujn    Fr.,    57. 
contextum  Pers.,  31. 
cor-rubrum   Macbr.,   140. 
crustaceum  Peck,   135. 
difforme    (Pers.)    Morg.,   126. 
effusum    (Sc/iiv.)   Morg.,  130. 
floriforme    {Bull.)    Pers.,  143. 
geasteroides  Phill.,    142. 
globosum  Pers.,  134. 
globuliferum   Fr.,   46. 
granulatum    (Schw.)    Fr.,   31. 
hemisphericum     {Bull.)     Home., 

138. 
laciniatum  Phill.,  142. 
lyallii  Mass.,  136. 
mariae-iuilsoni  Clinton,   137. 
?ninutum    (Schum.)    Fr.,    31. 
niveum    {Rosi.)    Macbr.,   137. 
oblongum  Fr.,  40. 
ochraceum  Hoffm.,   140. 
ochroleucum  Berk.  &  C,  31. 
persoonii  Macbr.,    126. 
radiatum    (L.)    Morg.,  141. 
reticulatum   Fr.,   Ill,    130. 
reticulatum    {Rost.)    Morg.,  131. 
roanense    (/?f;c)    Macbr.,   141. 
ru^/>«   (Alb.  &  Schw.)    Fr.,  50. 
rugosum    {Rex)    Macbr.,   144. 
sauteri    {Rost.)   Macbr.,   139. 
simplex  List.,   132. 
spumarioides   Fr.,    132. 


squamulosum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  119. 
steilare    (Schrad.)    Pars.,   141. 
testaceum    {Schrad.)   Pers.,  137. 
trevelyani    {Grev.)    Fr.,  142. 
vernicosum   Pers.,    112. 
DiDYMIUM,    115. 

anellus  Morg.,  117. 
annulatum  Macbr.,  125. 
anomalum  Sturg.,  127. 
chrysopeplum  Berk.  &  C,  47. 
cinereum   (Batsch)    Fr.,   35. 
clavus    {Alb.    &    Schvj.)    Rabh., 

122. 
complanatum   {Batsch)  Rost.,  116. 
connatum  Peck,  41. 
crustaceum  Fr.,   118. 
difforme  Duby,  126. 
dubium  7?oj/.,  126. 
effusum  Link.,   119. 
erythrinum  Berk.,    50. 
excelsum  Jahn,  128. 
eximium  Peck,   124. 
farinaccum  Schrad.,   121. 
fulvum   Sturg.,   118. 
glaucum  Phill.,  41. 
gyrocephalum  Mont.,  95. 
hemisphericum    (Bull.)    Fr.,    138. 
intermedium  Schrad.,   128. 
lateritium  Berk.  &  Rav.,  33. 
leoninum  Berk.  &  Br.,  128. 
melanopus  Fr.,  122. 
melanospermum    {Pers.)    Macbr,, 

121. 
melleum  Berk.  &  Br.,  47. 
michelii  Lib.,   138. 
microcarpon   (Fr.)   Rost.,  123. 
minus  List.,  121. 
nigripes  Fr.,  91. 
nigripes   {Link)   Fr.,  123. 
obrusseum  Berk.  &  C,  52. 
oculatum  Lipp.,   147. 
paraguayense  Speg.,   103. 
polyccphalum   (Schw.)    Fr.,  95. 
polymorphum   Mont.,   95. 
proximum  Berk.  &  C,   123. 
quitense   {Pat.)    Torr.,  127. 
ravenelii  Berk.  &  C,  48. 


294 


INDEX 


scrpula   Fr.,   116. 

squamulosum     (Alb.     &    Schw.) 

Fr.,  119. 
stellate  Schrad.,   141. 
tenerrimum  Berk.  &  C,  52. 
testaceum   Schrad.,   137. 
tigrinutn  Schrad.,   145. 
trochus  List.,   125. 
vvilczekii  Meylan,  117. 
xanthopus    (Dttm.)   Fr.,   123. 
zeylanicum  Berk,  &  Br.,  102. 
Diphtherium. 

flaz'ofuscum  Ehr.,   176. 

ECHINOSTELIUM,    198. 

minutum  DeBary,   198. 
Enerthenema,  189. 

berkeleyanum  Rost.,   190. 

elegans  Bowm.,   190. 

papillatum    {Pers.)    Rost.,   190. 

syncarpon  Sturg.,  190. 
Enteridium,  211. 

cinereum    Schw.,   26. 

minutum  Sturg.,  214. 

olivaceum  Ehr.,  214. 

rozeanum    (Rost.)    Wing.,  211. 

splendens  Morg.,  211. 
Erionema,  31. 

aureum  Penz.,  31. 
FULIGO,   23. 

cinerea   {Schiv.)   Morg.,  26. 

ellipsospora  List.,  26. 

flava  Pers.,  29. 

intermedia  Machr.,  30. 

laevis  Pers.,  29. 

megaspora  Sturg.,  30. 

muscorum  Alb.  &  Sc/iiv.,  25. 

ochracea  Peck,  25. 

ovata   (Sc/iaejf.)   Macbr.,  6,  27. 

plumbea  Schum.,  215. 

rufa  Pers.,  28. 

septica   (L.)   Gmel,  27. 

varians  Rost.,  27. 

'varians  Sommf.,  23. 

violacea  Pers.,  29. 
Hemiarcyria,  see  next,  259. 
Hemitrichia,  259. 

ablata  Morg.,  264. 


clavata    {Pers.)    Rost.,  264. 

funalis  Morg.,  264. 

intorta  List.,  263. 

karstenii   Rost.,   260. 

leiocarpa   Cooke,  263. 

longifila  Rex,  263. 

montana  Morg.,  266. 

obscura  Rex,  260. 

ovata    {Pers.)   Macbr.,  261. 

plumosa  (Morg.),  265. 

rubiformis    (Pers.)    Rost.,  262. 

serpula    {Scop.)    Rost.,  260. 

stipata    {Sc/iiv.)   Rost.,  262. 

stipitata  Mass.,  265. 

varneyi  Rex,  263. 

vesparium  {BatscJi)  Macbr.,  262. 

ivigandii  Rost.,  261. 
Heterotrichia,   256. 

gabriellae   {Rav.)   Mass.,  257. 
Isaria, 

mucida  Pers.,  19. 
Lachnobolus,  245. 

congesta  Berk.  &  Br.,  247. 

cribrosus  Fr.,   150. 

globosus    {Schiv.)    Rost.,  245. 

incarnatus   (Alb.  &  Schw.) 
Schroet.,  246. 

occidentalis  Macbr.,  246. 
Lamproderma,  191. 

arcyrioides  (Sommf.)  Morg.,  194. 

arcyrioides  iridea  Cke.,   195. 

arcyrionema  Rost.,   197. 

columbinum  {Pers.)  Rost.,  194. 

ellisiana  Cke.,   177. 

irideum   (Cke.)   Mass.,  195. 

minutum  Rost.,  144. 

physaroides    {Alb.   &  Sc/itv.) 
Rost.,  192. 

robustum  Ell.  &  Ev.,  193. 

sauteri  Rost.,  193. 

scintillans    (Berk.    &   Br.)    List, 
195. 

violaceum    (Fr.)    Rost.,    196. 
Leangiutn. 

stipatum  Schw.,  262. 

trevelyani   Grev.,    142. 


INDEX 


295 


Leocarpus,  111. 

fragilis    {Dicks.)   Rost.,  112. 

f  raff  His  Link.,  81. 

fulvus  Macbr.,  86. 

'vernicosum  Link.,   112. 
Lepidoderma,  144. 

carestianum  Rost.,   145. 

chaiiietii   Rost.,    146. 

stellatum  Mass.,   61. 

tigrinum     {Schrad.)     Rost.,    128, 
145. 
LiCEA,  199. 

biforis  Morg.,  201. 

effusa  Ehr.,  203. 

minima  Fr.,  201. 

ochracea  Peck,  25. 

pusilla  Schrad.,  202. 

ruffulosa  Walir.,  215. 

stipitata  Berk.  &  R.,  207. 

variabilis   Schrad.,  200. 

LiNDBLADIA,    203. 

effusa    {Ehr.)   Rost.,  204. 

tubulina  Fr.,  154. 
Lycogala,  233. 

atrum  Alb.  &  Schw.,   149. 

conicum  Pers.,  236. 

contortum   Ditm.,  269. 

epidendrum   {Buxb.)   Fr.,  6,  233. 

exiguum  Morg.,  236. 

flavofuscum    {Ehr.)   Rost.,  234. 

miniata  Pars.,  234. 

ierrestre  Fries,  234. 
Lycoperdon,  175. 

cinereum  Batsch,   34. 

complanatum  Batsch,   116. 

corticale  Batsch,  243. 

epidendron    (Buxb.)   L.,  233. 

favogineum   Batsch,   272. 

fragile  Dicks.,  81. 

fuliginosum   Sow.,   149. 

pusillum  Hedw.,  276. 

radiatum  L.,   141. 

vesparium   Batsch,   262. 
Margarita 

metallica  {Berk.  &  Br.,)   List. 
237. 


MUCILACO,    113. 

spongiosa  {Leyss.)  Morg.,  114 
Mucor,  23. 

cancellatus  Batsch,   230. 

ovatus  Schaeff.,  27. 

pomiformis  Leers,   255. 

septicus  L.,  27. 

serpula  Scop.,  260. 

spongiosus  Leyss.,  83. 

stemonitis  Scop.,  181. 
Oligonema,  278. 

brevifilum  Peck,  280. 

flavidum   {Peck)   Mass.,  279. 

fulvum  Morg.,  281. 

nitens   {Lib.)   Rost.,  280. 
Ophiotheca,  240. 

chrysosperma    Currey,    241. 

pallida  Berk.  &  C,  240. 

umbrina  Berk.  &  C,  240. 

vermicularis    {Schii;.)    Macbr., 
240. 

wrightii  Berk.  &  C,  241. 
Orcadella,  203. 

operculata   JVing.,  203. 
Orthotrichia,  191. 

microcephala  Wing.,  191. 
Perichaena, 

caespitosa  Peck,  204. 

corticalis    {Batsch)    Rost.,  243. 

depressa  Lib.,  6,  242. 

flavida  Peck,  279. 

incarnata   (Alb.  &  Schw.)    Fr., 
247. 

irregularis  Berk.  &  C,  243. 

marginata  Schiv.,  244. 

pallida   (Schw.)   Rost.,  240. 

populina  Fr.,  243. 

quadrata  Macbr.,  243. 

vaporaria  Schw.,  242. 
Physarella,  108. 

mirabilis  Peck,   109. 

oblonga    {Berk.  &  C.)    Morg., 
109. 
Physarum,  45. 

aeneum   {List.)   R.  G.  Fries,  101. 

affine  Rost.,  80. 

albescens  Ell.,  86. 


296 


INDEX 


albicans  Peck,  66. 
album  Fr.,  76. 
alpinum  G.  List.,  54. 
alrorubrum  Peck,   68. 
atrum   Schw.,   78. 
auranlium  Pers.,  98. 
aurcum   Pers.,  98. 
auriscalpium   Cke.,   86,  90. 
bcrkeleyi   (Rost.)    List.,  92,  93. 
bethel ii    {Macbr.)   List.,  94. 
bitectum  Lij/.,  53. 
bivalve  Pers.,  52. 
bogoriense  Racib.,  54. 
brunneolum  PIiilL,  58. 
caespitosum   Schw.,   85. 
calidris  List.,   76. 
carneum  Ljj/.  iSf  Siurg.,  85. 
cernuum    (Schum.)    Fr.,  97. 
chrysopeplum  Berk.  &  C,  65. 
chrysotrichum  Berk.  &  C,  34,  50. 
cinereum   {Batsch)   Pers.,  51,   59, 

99. 
cinereum  Ell.  &  Ev.,  36. 
citrinellum  Peck,  85. 
citrinum   ScJium.,   66,    85. 
clavus  Alb.  &  Schw.,   122. 
columbinum  Macbr.,  66. 
columbinum   Pers.,  73. 
compactum  List.,  72. 
compressum  Alb.  &  Sc/inv.,  80. 
confertum  Macbr.,  64. 
confluens   (Pers.)    Morg.,   80. 
conglomeratum  {Fr.)  Rost.,  57. 
connatum  Peck,   80. 
connexum    (Link.)   Morg.,  80. 
contextum  Pers.,  56. 
crateriforme  Petch.,  100. 
cupripes  Berk.  &  R.,  93. 
decipiens  Curt.,   34. 
dictyospermum  List.,  100. 
diderma  /?oi/.,  53,  55. 
didermoides    {Ach.)   Rost.,  6,   55, 

78. 
discoidale   Macbr.,    74. 
ditmari  Rost.,   61. 
echinosporum  List.,   101. 
effusum  Schw.,  130. 


ellipsosporum    Rost.,   26. 
erytlirinum  Berk.,  69. 
farloivii  Rost.,  66. 
flavidum  Peck,   57. 
flavicomum  Berk.,  93. 
flavum  Fr.,  84. 
fulvum  List.,  86. 
galbeum   ff^ing.,  92. 
glaucum   (Phill.)  Mass.,  41. 
globuliferum    (Bw//.)    P^r^.,    66. 
griseum   Link.,    59. 
gulielmae  Penzig,   101. 
gyrosum  /Joj/.,  49,   94,   95. 
hyalinum   Pers.,  40. 
inaequale  Peck,   50. 
instratum  Macbr.,   62. 
lateritium    (BfrjJ'   i£f  Br.)    Rost., 

50. 
leucophaeum  /'r.,  75. 
leucophaeum    (Fr.)    Macbr.,   80. 
leucopus  Link.,  79. 
lilacinum  Sturg.  &  Bilg.,  not  Fr., 

67. 
lividum   Rost,   78. 
luteurn   Pers.,    59. 
luteo-album  Lij/.,  71, 
macrocarpon   Cesati,   37 ;   Fuckel, 

102. 
maculatum   Macbr.,   77. 
maydis  Torn,  91. 
megalosporum  Sturg.,  63. 
melanospermum   Pers.,   88. 
melleum    {Berk.    &   Br.)    Mass., 

65. 
microcarpon  Fr.,   123. 
mortoni    Macbr.,   58. 
murinum  List.,  68. 
mutabile   {Rost)   List.,  99. 
nefroideum  Rost.,  80. 
newtoni   Macbr.,   73. 
nicaraguense  Macbr.,   83. 
nigripes  Link.,   123. 
nodulosum  Cy^<'.  ©"  Ba//.,  76. 
notabile  Macbr.,   80. 
nucleatum  /J^-a:,   72. 
nutans  Pcrj.,  75,  97. 
oblatum   Macbr.,  91. 


INDEX 


297 


ohlongum  Fr.,  78. 

obrusseum     (Berk.    &    C.)     Rost., 

92. 
oclirolcucum  Berk.  &  C,   57. 
ornatum    Peck,   91. 
paniceutn  Fr.,  35. 
penetrale  /Jta;,  70. 
/.^/criii  Berk.  &  C,  66,  69,  92. 
phillipsn  Balf.,  41. 
physaroidcs  Alb.  &  Schw.,  139. 
plumbeum  /"r.,   59. 
polycephalum   Scliiv.,  95. 
polymorplium    (Mont.)   Rost.,   80, 

92. 
polymorplium  Rost.,  52. 
psittacinum   DItm.,   74. 
pulcherrimum  Z?^r^.  £f  Rav.,  68. 
pulchripes  P^'f^,   69. 
pusillum  List.,  76. 
ravenelii  (Berk.  &  C.)   Mass.,  68. 
reniforme  List.,  83. 
reticulatum  Alb.  &  Schw.,  49,  111. 
roseum  fi^r/^.  &  Br.,  100. 
rostafinskii  Mass.,   57. 
rubiginosum  Chev.,  62. 
rufipes  Alb.  &  Schw.,  69. 
schumacheri  Spreng.,   65. 
scyphoides  Cke.  &  Balf.,  105. 
serpula  Morg.,  49. 
sinuosum    {Bull.)    JVeinm.,  52. 
straminipes  List.,   100, 
striatum    Fries,   59. 
stromateum  Link,  132. 
sulphureum    (Alb.   &   Schw.) 

Sturg.,    84. 
tenerum  Rex.,  77. 
tenerum  Rex,  92. 
testaceum  Sturg.,   55. 
tliejoteum   Fr.,    62. 
tropicale  Macbr.,  82. 
utriculare   (Bull.)   Chev.,  39. 
variabile  /J^-at,   89. 
vernum   Rost.,   51. 
vermicularis  Schw.,  240. 
viride  Pers.,  98. 
<virescens  Ditm.,  61,  62. 
wingatense  Macbr.,  72. 


Plasmodiophora,  17. 

brassicae  IF  or.,  18. 
Protoderma. 

pusilla  Rost.,  202. 
Prototrichia,  257. 

flagellifera    (Berk.   &  Br.)    Rost., 
258. 

metallica   [Berk.)  Mass.,  258. 
Puccinia,    18. 

byssoides  Gmel.,   19. 

ramosa,   etc.,   Mich.,   19. 
Racihorshia. 

elcgans  Ber!.,    182. 
Eeticularia,  209. 

alba  Bull.,  114, 

atra  Fr.,  152. 

cribrosa  Fr.,   150. 

ftavofusca    (Ehr.)    Fr.,  234. 

hemisphcrica  Bull.,    138. 

lycoperdon   Bu//.,   6,  210. 

maxima  Fr.,   154. 

rozeana  Rost.,  211. 

sinuosa  Bull.,  52. 

splendens  Morg.,  211. 
Rostafinskia,  182. 

elegans  Racib.,  182. 
Scyp/iium. 

rubiginosum    (Chev.)    Rost.,    70. 
Siphotychium,  207. 

casparyi  Rost.,  207. 
5p/iaerocarpus. 

a/Z'MJ  Bull.,  97. 

aurantius  Bull.,  98. 

capsulifer  Bull.,  40. 

clirysospermus  Bull.,  272. 

cylindricus  Bull.,  206. 

floriformis  Bull.,   143. 

fragilis  Sowb.,  274. 

globuliferus  Bull.,   66. 

/u//'«j  Bull.,  98. 

utricularis  Bull.,  67. 

a;znc//j  Bull.,   98. 
Spumaria,    113. 

fl/Z;a    (Bull.)    DC,    114. 

didermoidcs  (Ach.)   Pers.,  40. 

granulata  Schum.,   57. 

liclieniformis  Schw.,   78. 


298 


INDEX 


minuta  Schum.,   57. 
mucilago   Pers.,    114. 
Stemon'itis,  156. 

alba   (Bull.)    Gmel.,  97. 
argillacea   (Pers.)    Gmel.,  218. 
axifera  {Bull.)  Macbr.,  168,  169, 

171. 
bduerlinii  Mass.(?),  166. 
botrytis    (Pers.)    Gmel.,  274. 
carolinensis  Macbr.,   170. 
castillens'ts  Macbr.,   162. 
confluens  Cke.  &  Ell.,  158. 
dictjspora  Rost.,  161. 
digitata  Schw.,  255. 
fenestrata  Rex,  166. 
ferruginea  Ehr.,  167,   168,  169. 
ferruginosa  Batsch.,  206. 
flavogenita  J  aim,  169. 
friesiana  DBy.,  178. 
fusca   {Roth.)   Rost.,  160,  162. 
herbatica  Peck,   171. 
leucocep/iala   (Pers.)    Gmel.,   105. 
maxima  Schvv.(?),   160. 
micros pora  List.,   167. 
morgani  Peck,   164. 
nigra  Pers.,  178,  179. 
nigrescens  Rex,  162. 
ovata  nigra  Pers.,   178. 
pallida  IVing.,  169,   170. 
papillata  Pers.,   190. 
pulchella  Bab.,  183. 
scintillans  Berk.  &  Br.,  142. 
smithii   Macbr.,   167. 
splendens   Rost.,    164,    174. 
splendens  van  confluens  List.,  6, 

158. 
suksdorfii  Ell.  &  Ev.,   178. 
tenerrima  Berk.  &  C,   170,   183. 
tenerrima  Curt.,  122,  129,  183. 
trechispora    {Berk.)    Torr.,    159. 
tubulina  Alb.  &  Schw.,   150. 
typhina  Pers.,  181. 
typhina  Wig.,    130. 
typhoides  (Bull.)   DC,  181. 
uvifera  Macbr.,   161. 
•Dana    (Pers.)    Gmel.,  270. 
•violacea  Ft.,   196. 


virginiensis  /?<rAr,  163. 
viri^ij   (Bull.)    Gmel.,  98. 
webberi   Rex,   163. 

TiLMADOCHE,     57. 

alba  (Bull.)   Macbr.,  97. 
bethelii  Macbr.,  94. 
cernua   (Schum.)   Fr.,  97. 
columbina  (Berk.  &  C.)  Rost.,  72. 
compacta  Wing.,  72. 
gyrocephala    (Mont).   Rost.,   95. 
hians  Rost.,  109. 
mutabilis  Rost.,   98. 

nutans   (Pers.)   Rost.,  97. 

oblonga   (Berk.  &  C.)   Rost,  71. 
polycephala  (Schw.)   Macbr.,  95. 

•viridis  (Bull.)    Sacc,  98. 
Tremella,  19. 

hydnoides  Jacq.,   19. 
Trichamphora,   102. 

oblonga  Berk.   &   C,   109. 

pezizoidea  Jungh.,   102. 
Trichia,  267. 

abietina  Wig.,  261. 

abrupta  Cke.,  271. 

a  finis  DBy.,  271. 

andersoni  Rex,  211. 

flurra  Schum.,   104. 

axifera   Bull.,    168. 

botrytis  Pers.,   274,   277. 

cernua  Schum.,  59,  75. 

chrysosperma   (Bull.)   Rost.,  272. 

cinerea   Bull.,   254. 

circumscissa   Wallr.,   241. 

clavata  Pers.,   264. 

contorta    {Ditm.)   Rost.,  269. 

decipiens    (Pers.)    Macbr.,  276. 

erecta  Rex,  276. 

fallax  Pers.,  276. 

favoginea    {Batsch)    Pers.,  272. 

flagellifera  Berk.  &  Br.,  258. 

fragilis  (Sowb.)   Rost,  274,  277. 

inconspicua   Rost.,    263. 

iowensis  Macbr.,  269. 

jackii  Rost,  271. 

lateritia  L^'i;.,  277. 

leucopodia   Bull.,    186. 

«a«a  Mass.,  261. 


INDEX 


299 


nigripes  Pers.,  270. 
nitens  Lib.,  280. 
nutans  Bull.,   249. 
o'vata  Pers.,  261. 
persimilis  Karst.,  271. 
proximella  Karst.,   271. 
pulchella  Rex,  273. 
pusilla   Schroet.,   280. 
pyriformis  Fr.,   274. 
reniformis  Peck,  269. 
rubiformis  Pers.,  262. 
scabra  Rost.,  271. 
serpula  (Scop.)   Pers.,  260. 


subfusca  Rex,  275. 
typhoides  Bull.,  181. 
varia    (P^r5.)    Rost.,  270. 
verrucosa  Berk.,  273. 

TUBIFERA,     205. 

casparyi    {Rost.)    Macbr.,  207. 
ferruginosa    (Batsch)    Macbr., 

206. 
stipitata   (B.  £f  /?.)   Macbr.,207. 
Tubulina,  155. 

cylindrica  (Bull.)   DC,  206. 
jragiformis   (Pers.)    List,  206. 
stipitata    (Berk.   &   Rav.)    Rost, 

207. 


PLATES 

TO   II-I.LSTRATE 

NORTH  AMERICAN  SLIME-MOULDS 


Note.— Plates  I.,  II.,  IV.,  VI.,  VII.,  VIII.,  IX.,  X.,  were  orig- 
inally by  Miss  Mary  P.  Macbride;  Plates  V.,  XL,  XII.,  were 
by  Mrs.  Hattie  J.  Douglass;  Plates  XIIL,  XIV.,  XV.,  XVL, 
XVIL,  were  by  the  late  Mrs.  Bertha  E.  Linder  Pumphrey; 
Plate  III.  was  the  joint  work  of  Mrs.  Pumphrey  and  Miss 
Macbride.  All  these,  except  I\'.,  have  been  re-drawn  for  new- 
plates;  XVL,  with  additions,  by  Miss  Margaret  Hayes;  the 
remainder  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Calvin,  C.  E.  Plate  XVIII.  is  by  Miss 
Hayes;  Plate  XIX.  by  Miss  A.  M.  Held;  Plate  XX.  by  Miss 
Jane  Coventry. 


21 


EXPLAXAIION   OF  PLATE   I 


Eulrruliuin    splniJiiis   Moi^-.    P-   -H- 
Fig.   1.         /Ethaliuni,    natural    size. 
Fig.   1  a.     Spore  of   the  same  species,    X    1400. 
Fig.   1  /;.     Capillitiuiii   of   the   same   species,    X    420. 

Dictydiu'lharuini    {^luinhnim    (Fr.)    Rost.,    p.    215. 
Fig.  2.         .Ethaiium,    natural    si/e. 

Fig.  2a.     Sporangia    and    spores,    X    50    (after   Schroeter). 
Fig.  2  /;.      Persistent   apices   of   the   peritlia. 

Lindhladla   rffusa    (Ehr.)    Rost.,    p.   204. 
Fig.   3.         A   group   of  sporangia,    X    30. 
Fig.   3  a.     A    single   spore,    X    1400. 

Tuliifcra  frnuiiiiiosa    (Batsch)    Maclir.,   p.  206. 
Fig.  4.         A  group  of  sporangia,    X    5. 

See  also  Plate  VIL,   Fig.   8;    and   Plate  XIL,  Fig.    14. 

Cnhrarla   diclydioidcs   Cke.   &•    15alf.,    p.   222. 
Fig.  5.        Three   sporangia,    X    15. 

Fig.   5  fl.     A  single  sporangium,   to   show    reticulate   thickening,    X    60. 
Fig.  5  Z-.     A  spore,    X    1400. 

Didydiiim    rtiiurllalitni     (Batsch)     Machr.,    p.    230. 
Fig.   6.         Sporangium,    X    30. 
Fig.   6  rt.     A   part  of  the   peridial   wall,   seen    from   within,    X    84. 

Ccratiomyxa  fruliculosa    (Muell.)    Machr.,    p.    19. 
Fig.  7.         Three   sporiferous    pillars,    X    about  40. 
Fig.  7  a.     Tip   of   a    single    pillar,    X    84. 

llcmitruli'ui  slipata    (Schw.)    Machr.,   p.   262. 
Fig.   8.         Sporangia,    X    6. 

Fig.  8  a.     The  capillitiurn  of  the  same  species,    X    750. 
Fig.  8  Z*.     A   single  spore,    X    1000. 


302 


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303 


EXPLANATION    OF   PLATE   II 


Pn'uliaina  (orthalis    (Batsch)    Rnst.,    p.   243. 
Fig.   \.        Sporangia,    X    10. 

Fig.  \  a.     A  single  spore,   :i>   if  in   section,    X    900. 
Fig.  1  h.     The   capillitiai    tlirtad,    X    750. 

Laihnohnlus  oiddintalis  Macbr.,    p.   246. 
Fig.  2.        The  sporangia,    X    S. 
Fig.  2  a.     A  portion  of  the  capillitiuin,    X    750. 
Fig.  2  b.     Spores,    X    750. 

See  also  4  and  4  a  lielow. 

Arcyrhi  cirtrrra  (Bull.)  Pers.,  p.  254. 
Fig.  3.  The  expanded  fructifications,  X  5. 
Fig.  3  a.      rip  of  a  single  capillitium  mass,    X   40. 

Laclin(i])olus  o<< iihnlalis  Machr.,  p.  246. 

Fig.  4.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,    X    3  ;  cylindric  type. 

Fig.  A- a.     Capillitium,    X    750;   to  show  characteristic 
surface  of  the  threads. 

Arcyria  dcnudata    (Linn.)    Pers.,   p.  253. 
Fig.   5.        Sporangia,  two  expanded,  one  still  closed,   X  20. 
Fig.  5  a.     A  part  of  the  capillitium  of  the  same  species, 
X   750. 

Arcyria  nutans   (Bull.)    Grev.,  p.  249. 
Fig.  6.        Expanded   capillitium,    etc.,    X    10. 
Fig.  6rt.     Capillitium,    X    750. 
Fig.  6  h.     A   piece  of  the  capillitium   thread,    X    1400. 

Ophiollnra  ii-ruihtii   Berk.   &   C,   p.  241. 
Fig.   7.         A   single   sporangium,    X    8. 
Fig.  7  a.     A  node  of  the  capillitiai  thread,   X   750. 
Fig.  7  /;.     A  spore,    X   750. 

OHijonrma   nitens    (Lib.)    Rost.,   p.   280. 
Fig.  8.        A  single  elater,   X   750. 
Figs.  8  a  and  8  b.     Spores,    X    1000. 

Badhamia  truurocarpa  Rost.,  p.  7. 
\'ar.   (jracilis. 
Fig.  9.        Two  sporangia,    X    600. 


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305 


EXI'I.AXAllON   OF   PLATE   III 


Ilnnitrhhia   clavaUi    (Pers.)    Rost.,    p.   264. 
Fiji.   !•         riiifc   >p()ian<;ia,   one   closed,    X    8. 
Fig.   1  b.     A    single    spore.    X     1400. 

Iliiniliiiliia   ■vispaiiu/ri    (Batsch)    Machr.,    p.  262. 
Fig.  2.  Tip  of  the   elater  of  capillitial   thread,    X    1400. 

Fig.  2  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1400. 

Tiich'ta   ioivrnsis   Macbr.,    p.   269. 
Fig.   3.         A   cluster   of   sporangia,    X    5. 
Fig.   3  a.     Tip  of  a  branching  elater,    X    750. 
Fig.   3  b.     A  single  spore,    X    750. 

See  also  Plate  X.,   Fig.   5. 

Hrmitricli'ta  snpiila   Scop.,   p.   260. 
Fig.  4.        A   plasrnodiocarp,    X    3. 
Fig.  4rt.     A   single   spore,    X    1400. 
Fig.  4/;.     An  elater-tip,    X    1400. 

Tridiia   inconspuiia   Rost.,    p.   268. 
Fig.  5.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,    X    12. 
Fig.  5  a.     Tip  of  an  elater,   X    1400. 
Fig.  5  b.     A  single  spore,   X   750. 

Pliysaruin   ohlalum   Maclir.,    p.   91. 
Fig.   6.         A  single  sporangium,    X    20;  stipe  sh(nvn  of  unusual  length. 
Fig.  6  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 

See   also   Plate   XI\'.,   Fig.    3. 

Pliysarum   aurlscalphtm    (Cke.)    Lister,  p.  90. 
Fig.  7.        A  single  sporangium,    X    20 ;   a  New  York  specimen. 
Fig.  7  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 

.Inyria   nodulosa   Macbr.,    p.   252. 
Fig.  8.        Capillitial   thread,    X    1200. 


306 


PLATK  111 


K      \M     U 


EXPLANATION    OF   I'LATE   IV 


Tr'uliia   prrsiiriilis   Karst.,    p.    271. 
Fifz;.    1.         Vuv.   iiilcnnidia,    X    about   6. 
Fip;.    1  (I.     Spore   of   same  species,    X    1400. 

Fig.   1  h.     A  second    spore   to   show   varyinjj;  episporic  networii. 
I'itj.    1  c.      Fip  of   elater,   shows    \ertical   connecting  hands. 

Tr'uliia  drci pirns    (Pers.)    Machr.,   p.  276. 
Fig.  2.        Sporangia,    X    about  8. 
Fig.   2  a.     .\   spore   of  the   same  species,    X    1400. 
Fig.   2  /;   and  2  c.     Flaters  of  the  same  species,    X    about  225. 

Tridiia  -varia    (Pers.)    Rost.,   p.   270. 
Fig.   3.         Sporangia,    X    about  8. 
Fig.  3  a.     A  spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1000. 
Fig.  3  b.     An   elater  of  the  same  species,    X    750. 

Tridiia  scalira  Rost.,    p.   271. 
Fig.  4.        Sporangia,   X    about  8. 

Fig.  4  a.     A  single  spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1400. 
Fig.  4  /;.     An   elater-tip  of  the  same,    X    1400. 

Tridiia  favof/inra    (Batsch)    Pers.,   p.  272. 
Fig.   5.         Sporangia,    X    about   8. 
Fig.  S  a.     A  single  spore  of  the  same,    X    1400. 
Fig.  5  //.     A  single  elater-tip  of  the  same,    X    1400. 

Tridiia  prrsimilis  Karst.,  \ar  aliriipta  Cke.,  p.  271. 
Fig.   6.         An    elater-tip,     X     1400.      It    will    be    noticed    that    the    spirals    are 

connected   by   vertical   bars. 
Fig.   6  a.     A   single   spore   of  the  same  variety,    X    1400. 
Fig,  6h.     A  single  spore,  from  the  same  sporangium  as  6  a. 
Fig.  6  c.     Tridiia  prrsimilis,  a  single  spore,    X    1400. 
Fig.   G  d.     'Fip  of  an   elater  from  the  same,    X    1400. 


308 


PLATE  IV 


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309 


EXPLANATION    OF    PLATE    V 


Lam f^rodrrnui    arcyiiniu'ina    Rost.,    p.    197. 
Fig.   \.         A  sint^le  sporangium  seen   as  if  in  section,    X   40. 
I'ig.    1  a.     A   single  spore,    X    1400. 

l.amfiddrrma  .uinlillans    (Heri<.  .*l:  Br.)   List.,  p.   195. 
Fig.   2.         A  single   sporangium  seen   as  in   section,    X   40. 
Fig.  2  a.     A   single   spore,    X    1400. 

r.ncrthnicma  papiUatum    (Pers.)    Rost.,    p.    190. 
Fig.   3.         An    expanded,   hlown-out    sporangium,    X    25. 

Lamprodirma  robuslum  V.W.  k  Ev.,  p. 
Fig.  4.         A  sporangium  seen  as  in   section,   X   20. 
Fig.  4«.     A    single    spore,    X     1000. 

C.omatr'uha  la.xa  Rost.,   p.   177. 
Fig.   5.         \  sporangium  seen   as  if  in   section,    X   40. 
Fig.   5  a.     A   single   spore,    X    2000. 

Diacliara   tliomasit   Rex,    p.    188 
Fig.   6.         Three   sporangia  magnified   about   15    times. 
Fig.   6  a.     A  single  spore  of  the  same  species,    X    800. 

Brefiid'ia   maxima    (Fries)    Rost.,    p.    154. 
Fig.  7.         A  group  of  sporangia,  showing  columella?;    X    5. 
Fig.  7  a.     Capillitial  threads  of  the  same  species,    X   300. 
Fig.  7  h.     Spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1500. 

A maitrocliii'tr   fulif/iiiosa    (Sowb. )    Macbr.,    p.    149. 
Fig.   8.         A   bit   of   so-called   capillitium,    X    300. 
Fig.   8  a.     A   single  spore  magnified   about   1000  tiines. 


PLATE  V 


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311 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLA  TE  VI 


Comatricha  typlioidrs    (Hull.)    Rost.,    p.    181. 
Fij:;.   1.        A  j^roup  of  sporangia,    X    5. 
Fig.   1  a.     A   single   spore,    X    1600. 
Fig.   1  h.      lip  of  the  columella    with   its  branches,    X    50. 

C.dtnatr'u ha  longa  Peck,   p.   175. 
Fig.  2.         A  single   empty  sporangium,    X    6. 
Fig.  2  a.     A   part  of  the   same   taken   near  the   apex,    X    60. 
Fig.  2  h.     A  spore,    X    1400. 

'Comatr'ulia  arqual'is  Peck,   p.   180. 
Fig.  3.        A  single  sporangium,    X    10. 
Fig.  3  a.     The  columella  and  capillitium,    X    60. 
Fig.  3  h.     A  single  spore,   X    1600. 

Figs.  3  c  and   3  d.     Sporangia  to  which  the  peridi\im  still   adheres,   although  ii 
3  c  ill  shreds. 

Stcmonilis  fu.ua  Rost.,    p.    160. 
Fig.  4.         A  group  of  sporangia,    X    3. 

Fig.  4  rt.     A   part   of   the  columella   and   capillitiiun,    X    60. 
Fig.  4  b.     A  single  spore,    X    1400. 

Slcmonilis  axifrra  (Bull.)    Macbr.,  p.  168. 

Fig.  5.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X  3. 
Fig.   b  a.     A   single  spore,    X    1400. 

Fig.   5  /;.     A  part   of  the  capillitium  with   columella,    X    60. 

Strmonitis   splrruir/is,   p.    164. 
Fig.   6.         A   group  of  sporangia,    X    3. 
Figs.   6  a   and   6  c.     Single  spores,   the  latter    X    1400. 
Fig.  6  b.     A  part  of  the  columella  and  branches,    X    60. 

Fig.  7.         A  shorter  variety  of  the  same  species  with  coarser  meshes  in  capil- 
litium,   X    3. 
Fig.  7  a.     A  part  of  the  columella  and  net,    X    60. 


PLAl'E  VI 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE  VII 


Diaihara  splnidrns   Peck,    p.   187. 
Fig.   \.         Sporangia    aiui    li\  pothallus,    X    25. 
Fig.  1  a.     Oapillitium,    X    50. 
Fig.  1  /;.     Spores,    X    900. 
Fig.   1  c.     Portion  of  the  capillitiuin,    X    150. 

Didyin'iutn   iiit/ripis  Fr.,   p.    123. 
Fig.  2.        Sporangia,    X    30. 
Fig.  2  a.     A  spore,    X    1400. 
Fig.  2  b.     Calcareous   crystals   from    the   peridial    wall,    X    750. 

Didym'iiiin    mrlaiinsprnnum    (Pers.)    Macbr.,   p.    121. 
Fig.  3.        Sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.  3  «.     A  single  spore,   X    about  1000. 

DiJrrma  Irsltuium    (Schrad.)    Pers.,   p.   137. 
Fig.  4.         Sporangia;    the    first    exhibiting    the    two    peridial    ^valls    and    the 

spore-mass,    X    10. 
Fig.  4rt.     Spore,   X   750. 
Fig.  4/;.     (\ipillitial  threads,    X    750. 

D'tdrnna   (/lohnsuw    Pers.,    p.    134. 
Fig.   5.         Sporangia;  the  first  with  the  outer  peridiuiii  broken  awa_v,    X    10. 
Fig.  5  a.     A  single  spore,    X   750. 

MiicUaijo  spoju/insa  (Leyss.)    Morg.,   p.  114. 

Fig.  6.        An  a?thaliuin,  borne  on   a  grass-stem,  natural  size. 
Fig.  6  a.     A  spore,  X   750. 

Fig.  6  b.     Capillitium,   \vith   surface  calcareous  crystals,  X    750. 

Didirina  cnistadtim   Peck,    p.   13  5. 
Fig.  7.        A  mass  of  clustered  sporangia,  to  show  habit  of  aggregation,   nat- 
ural size. 

Tuliifna  frrnu/innsa    (Batsch)    Macbr.,    p.   206. 
Fig.  8.        A  single  spore,   X   1400. 


PLATi:  \'I1 


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w.y 


315 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  VIII 


Didcnna  ftnrifnnnr    (Hull.)    Pers.,  p.   143. 
Fig.  1.        Sporangia  of  various  ages,    X    15. 
Fig.  1  a.     Spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1000. 
Fig.   1  b.     A  capillitial   thread,    X    1000. 

Pliysanini  polyrrp/ialum  Schw.,  p.  95. 
Fig.  2.        The  sporangia,   X    10. 
Fig.  2  a.     Spores,    X   750. 
Fig.  2  b.     Capillitium,    X    750. 

Lcocarpus  fragilis   (Dicks.)   Rost.,  p.   112. 
Fig.  3.        Sporangia,    X    6. 

Fig.  3  a.     A  group  of  sporangia,   natural   size,  to  show  habit. 
Fig.  Z  b.     A  single  spore,    X    1800. 

Physarclla  oblontja    (Berk,   k  C.)    Morg.,   p.   109. 
Fig.  4.        A  single  sporangium,    X    8. 
Figs.  4  a  and  4  b.     Capillitium  and  spore  respectively,    X    900. 

Cratnium    leucoccplialum    (Pers.)    Ditmar,   p.    105. 
Fig.  5.        Sporangia,  the  first  closed,    X    10. 

Pliysarum   slnuositin    (Bull.)    Weinm.,   p.    52. 
Fig.  6.        Plasmodiocarp,  natural  size;  6  «,   X  4;  see  also  Plate  XIX.,  Fig.  15. 

Pliysarum  virescens  Ditmar,  p.  61. 
Fig.  7.        Groups  of  sporangia,    X    3   and    X    8. 
Fig.  7  a.     Spores,   X   750. 

Pliysarum    viriJr   Pers.,    p.    98. 
Fig.  8.        A  single  sporangium,    X    25  ;    ?,  a,   reverse. 
Fig.  8  b.     The  same  after  spore-dispersal. 
Fig.  8  c.     Capillitium,    X    750. 


316 


PLATi:  \III 


6  a  > 


317 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE    IX 


Pliysanim    Jidnmoidrs    (Ach.)    Kost.,    p.    78. 
Fis;.    1.         Sporaiij^ia,    X    15. 

Fi,ix.    1  a.     A    s'mjile    sporanijiium    ojien  ;    shows    calcareous    capillitiLiin,    X     15. 
Fig.   1  /;.      Spores,    X    900. 

Physaniin    iiolahilr   Marhr.,    p.    80. 
Fijj;.   2.         A  cluster  of  sporaiij^ia,    X    15. 
Fiji.   2  a.     A  siiif^le  sporangium  open,    X    15. 
Fig.   2  /;.      Spores,    X    900. 

See  also  Plate  W.,  Figs.  2,  2  a,  and  the  frontispiece. 

Pliystinim    ronlixliun   Pers.,    p.    56. 
Fig.   3.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    15. 
Fig.   3  a.     Spores   of   the   same,    X    600. 

Pliysanim    (inrreiim    (Batsch)    Pers.,    p.    59. 
Fig.  4.         A  group  of  sporangia,    X    4. 
Fig.  4  a.     A  single  sporangium,    X    20. 
Fig.  4 /a      Capillitium  of  the  same,    X    240. 
Fig.  4  c.     Spores,    X    450. 

Physanun    alhr.s<rns    Ellis,    p.    86. 
Fig.    5.         Sporangia,    X    5. 

•      See   also    Plate   XVI.,    Figs.   4   and   4  «. 
Fig.   5  a.     Spore   of  the   same   species,    X    450. 
Fig.    5  b.     Capillitium   of   the   same,    X    240. 

Pliysanim  snpiila  Morg.,    p.  49. 
Fig.   6.         Plasmodiocarps,    about   natural    size. 
Fig.   6  cj.     A   hit  of  tin-   plasniodiocarp,   showing  structure,    X    6. 
Fig.   6  h.     A   spore   of   the   same   species,    X    1400. 

Physanun    IriKOpiis   Link.,    p.    79. 
Fig.  7.        A   single  sporangium,    X    15. 
Fig.  7  a.     A  spore  of  the  same  species,   X    900. 
Fig.   7  b.     A   fragment  of  the  capillitium. 


PL  All-:  IX 


'U 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  X 


BaJliamia    ruh'ui'tnnsa    (Chev.)    Rost.,    p.   43. 
Fig.   1.         A  group  ot   ^p()I■a^gia,    X    5. 

Fig.   1  a.     Two  sporangia,  same  species,    X    18,  to  show   persisting  capillitium. 
Fig.   1  /;.     Capillitium    fragment,    X    240. 
Fig.    1  c.     Spore   of   the   same   species,    X    750. 

Fulit/o  srpiica   (I..)    (Jmel.;  form  larfis,  p.  29. 
Fig.  2.         An   ;¥tlialium,    natural   size. 
Fig.  2  a.     A  section  of  the  same,    X    10. 
Fig.  2  b.     A  spore  of  the  same,    X    750. 

Fitlu/o   (incrra  Pers.,    p.   26. 
Fig.   3.         A   small    asthalium   borne    upon    a    blade   of  grass,    natural    size. 

See  also  Plate  XXIIL 
Fig.   3  a.     Capillitial    fragment    from    the    same   specimen,    X    450. 
Fig.   3  h.     Spores  of   the   saine,    X    about   750. 

Didymium    minus   List.,    p.    121. 
Fig.  4.         A  single  sporangium,    X    25. 
Fig.  4  a.     The  capillitium   and   fragment  of  the   peridium  of  the  same  species, 

X    380. 
Fig.  4  /;.     A  spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1000. 

Trichia   ioiLwnsis  Macbr.,  p.   269. 
Fig.  5.        Tip  of  an   elater,    X    1400. 

See   also  Plate  III,   3,   3  a,   3  h. 

Badliamia  papai'cracca  Berk,  i.^-  Rav.,   p.  42. 
Fig.  6.        Sporangia,    a    cluster,    X    8. 
Fig.  e  a.     A  cluster  of  spores,    X    400. 
Fig.  6  b.     A  single  spore  of  the  same,    X    1400. 

Rrl'uulana  lycopndnti   Hull.,    p.  210. 
Fig.  7.        A  fragment  of  the  capillitium,    X    240. 
Fig.  7  a.     A  single  spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1400. 
See  also  Plate  XII.,   Fig.  3. 


PLAl'K  X 


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321 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE   XI 


donuilrii  //a   nit/ia   Pers.,   p.    178. 
Fip;-      1-         A   ^roup  of  sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.     2.         A   siiifz;Ie   sporangium    as   in   section,    X    60. 
Fig.     3.        A  single  spore,    X    1600. 

Strmonitis  confliinis  Ell.   &  Cke.,  p.   158. 
Fig.     4.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 

Fig.     4  rt.     A  thread  of  capillitium  Avith  adhering  disk,    X    30. 
Fig.     5.        A  spore  of  the  same,    X    2000. 

Stcmnnilis  if.'t'l>brri  Rex,   p.    163. 
Fig.     6.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X   4. 
Fig.     7.         A   single   sporangium   as   in   section,    X    40. 
Fig.     8.         A  single  spore,  same  species,   X    1250. 

Comatricha  siiksdorfii  Ell.  &  Ev.,   p.   178. 
F^ig.     9.        A   group    of   sporangia,    X    4. 
Fig.   10.         A   hit   of    the   capillitium,    X    60. 
Fig.    11.         A  single  spore,    X    1600. 

Comatr'uha  Ccrsf^itosa  Sturg.,   p.    172. 
Fig.   12.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,    X    4. 
Fig.  13.        The   capillitium   highly   magnified. 
Fig.  14.        A  single  spore,    X    1600. 


PLATK  XI 


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14 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE   XII 


Lindhladia   rffiisa    (Ehr.)    Rost.,    p.   204. 
Fig.      L         Friictirtcation,    natural    size. 
Fig.     2.         Portion  of  same   in   section,    X    3. 

R,li(ular'ui  lyropfiJo/i   Bull.,    p.   210. 
Fig.      3.         Residual    capiilitial    structiire,    the   spores   lilown    a\va\-;    aliout   nat- 
ural   si/e. 

Lull- lid  I  urn  spli-ndcns   Morg.,    p.   211. 
Fig.      4.         Fructification,    a    large    one,    natural    si/e. 
Fig.      5.         Same   in   section,    X    3. 

Jrcyria   fcrriKjima    Sauter,    p.    253. 
Fig.     6.         Three  sporangia,  magnified   about    10  times. 
Fig.     6  a.     A  single  spore,  magnified. 
Fig.     6  h.     Capiilitial    thread. 

Licca   I'ariahilis   Schrad.,    p.    200. 
Fig.     7.        Sporangia,  magnified   about  6   times. 
Fig.     8.        Spore,   magnified   to  show  surface  characters. 

Tnbifira    caspary'i    (Rost.)    Macbr.,    p.    207. 
Fig.     9.        A   group  of  sporangia;   shows   the  pseudo-columellic ;    X    about   5. 

Licca   hiforis   Morg.,    p.   201. 
Fig.   10.         Sporangia   dehiscent,   magnified    about    10   times. 

Orcadclla  opcrcitlala   U'ing.,   p.  203. 
Fig.   11.        Sporangia,    magnified   about   30   times. 

Crihraria  argillacca   Pers.,   p.  218. 
Fig.   12.        Sporangia,   magnified   about   10  times. 
Fig.   13.        A  single  sporangium,    X    about  40. 
See  also  Plate  XVIL,  Fig.  1. 
Tuhifera  ferruginosa    (Batsch)    Macbr.,    p.   206. 
Fig.   14.         Sporangia    magnified    to   show    apiculate   tops.      Cf. 

C.omatricha   cllisii  Morg.,    p.    184. 
Fig.  15.        Sporangium,    X    40. 
Fig.   15  a.     A  single  spore,   X    1000. 

Co /rial  rich  a  pulc/iclla    (Bab.)    Rost.,   p.    183;    vid.   p.  284. 
Fig.    16.         Sporangium,    X    20. 
Fig.   16  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 

Corriatriclia  suhcacspitosa  Peck,  p.  282. 
Fig.   17.        Sporangium,    X    20. 
Fig.   Ma.     A  single  spore,   X    1000. 

Coinatricha   (jiacilis  \\'ingate,    p.    184. 
Fig.   18.        Sporangium,    X    20. 
Fig.   18  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 

324 


PLATE  XII 


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325 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE  XIII 


llrtrrolr'uhia   i/ahyirlLr   Ma^s.,    p.   257. 
Fig.   1.        A  Rroup  of  sporangia,  one  expanded,  the  others  empty,   X    15. 
Fig.   1  a.     Capillitiiim   of  the  species,    X    600. 

C.alomma   aiinum    Morg.,    p.   266. 
Fig.  2.        A   cluster   of   sporangia,    magnified    about    15    times. 
Fig.  2  a.     The  tip  of  an  elater  of  the  same  species,   X    1000. 
Fig.  2  h.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 
Fig.  2  c.     A  bit  of  the  sporangium    wall,    X    600. 

Stcmonitis  pallida  Wing.,    p.    169. 
Fig.   3.         Sporangia,   magnified   about   5   times. 

Comal)  icha  pulchclla    (Hab. )    Rost.,  form   C.  pcrsoojtii  R,,  p.   183 
Fig.  4.        Sporangia,    magnified    about    15    times. 
See  Addenda,  d,  p  283. 

Strmonitis  carolinnisis   Macbr.,   p.   170. 
Fig.   5.         Sporangia,   magnified   about   5   times. 

(Uastodcrma  deharyanutn  Bl\tt.,  p.  191. 
Fig.  6.        Sporangium,    magnified   about   60   times. 

Truliia  <ontor/a  Rost.,  p.  269. 
Fig.  7.        Tip   of   an    elater,    X    1400. 
Fig.  7  a.     Spore  of  the  same  species,   X    1400. 

Triihia    hotryth    Pers.,    p.   274. 
Fig.  8.        Tip  of  the  elater,    X    1400. 
Fig.  8  a.     Spore  of  the  same  species,    X    1400. 


PLATK  XIII 


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327 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE   XIV 


Badliamia   magna   Peck.,    p.   38. 
Fig.   1.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,    X    10. 

Cinikrniskia  rrlicalala   (Alb.  c<L-  Schw.)    Rost.,  p.  IIL 
Fig.  2.        Plasmodiocarp,    X    15. 

Fig.  2  a.     A  bit  of  the  capillitiurn  of  the   same,    X    800. 
Fig.  2  /;.     A   single  spore,    X    1000. 

Physariim    o/ilatuin   Macbr.,    p.   91. 
Fig.  3.        Sporangia,    X    15. 
Fig.   3  a.     A  piece  of  capillitiurn,    X    800. 
Fig.   3  h.     A   single  spore,    X    1000.      The   roughness  much  exaggerated. 

Badliamia  orhiciilata  Rex,  p.  66. 
Fig.  4.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 

Pliysanim   nfiiioni  Macbr.,   p.  73. 
Fig.  5.        A  group   of   sporangia,    X    16. 
Fig.  5  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 
Fig.  5  h.     A  bit  of  the  capiliitium,    X    800. 

Pliysarum    maculatiim   Macbr.,    p.   77. 
Fig.  6.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,   X    10. 
Fig.  6  a.     A  piece  of  the  capillitial   net,    X    800. 
Fig.  6  b.     A  single  spore,    X    800. 

Lcpidodrrma  lit/riniim    (Schrad.)    Rost.,  p.  1+5. 
Fig.  7.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X   20. 


328 


PLAii:  \i\' 


329 


EXPLANATION    OF   PLATE   XV 


Pliysanini   confntitin   Maclir.   ;/.   /;.,   p.   64. 
Fig.    \.  Sporangia  on   a  bit  of  leaf,    X   4. 

Fig.   1  a.     Capillitiiim,    X    800. 
Fig.    1  /;.     A   single  spore,    X    1200. 

Pliysarum    notahilr  Machr.,    p.   80. 
Fig.  2.        A  group  of  sporangia,  stipitate   form,    X    10. 
Fig.  2  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1200. 

Pliysarum  fla-vicomuiri  Berk.,  p.  93. 
Fig.  3.  A  cluster  of  sporangia,  one  closed,  X  10. 
Fig.  3  a.     A  single  spore,    X    1200. 

Pliysarum    trnpualr   Macbr.,    p.    82. 
Fig.  4.         Sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.  4rt.     Capillitium,    X    800. 
Fig.  4  /;.     A  single  spore,    X    1200. 

Cratir'ium    in'niuluin    (Leers)    Fr.,    p.   107. 
Fig.   5.         Sporangia,   tlie   stalks  unusually   long,    X    15. 

Pliysarum    pnirlralc   Rex,    p.   70 
Fig.   6.         A  group  of  sporangia;   the  calcareous  crust  has   fallen   in   all. 
Fig.   6  a.     A   single   sporangia,    enlarged    to   sho\v   columella,    X    20. 

Pliysarum   nicarar/uinsr  Macbr.,  p.   83. 
Fig.   7.         A  group  of  sporangia,    X    15. 
Fig.   7  a.     Capillitium,   strongly  calcareous,    X    800. 
Fig.  7  h.     A  single  spore,    X    1200. 

See  also  PI.  XVIL,  Figs  11   and   11  «. 


330 


PLATK  XV 


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EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE  XVI 


Fig. 

2. 

Fig. 

3. 

Fig. 

4. 

Fig. 

4<7. 

Fig. 

5. 

Fig. 

5  a. 

Fig. 

Sb. 

Fig. 

5  c. 

Physmi'lla  ohlontja    (Berk,  t^-  C.)    Morgan,  p.  109. 
Fig.     \.        Fully   opened   sporangium,    X    10. 
Fig.     1  a.      I'uliular  sporangia  closed,    X    5. 
Fig.     \  b.     'l"rans\erse    section    of    sporangium;    sho^YS    trabecular    calcareou- 

nodules  of  the  capillitium,    X    15. 

Cratcrium   t yli ii J r i rum    Mass.,   p.    106. 
C/roup   of   sporangia,    X    10. 

Pliysaruin   ^Lvi/u/dlrnsr   Macbr.,    p.    72. 
Ciroup  of  sporangia,    X    10. 

Pliysariun    alhrsccns   Ellis,    p.    86. 
Ciroiip  of   sporangia,    X    10. 
Capillitium   of  the  same   species,    X    200. 

Diane  ma  liarzwyi  Rex,   p.  238. 
C  J  roup  of   sporangia,    X    10. 
S  a.     Clustered  spores,  D.  corticatiutij   X    500. 

Capillitial  threads  and  spores,  D.  Iiarveyi,   X    200. 
Twisted,  spirally  striate  single  threads,    X    500;   D.   corticatum, 
List. 

Pliysartlla   oblont/a   Berk.   &   C.   p.   109. 
Fig.     6.         Terrestial,    plasmodiocarpous   phase,    X    10. 

Physarum    mrgalosponim    Sturg.,   p.   63. 
(jroup   of   sporangia,    X    8. 
Capillitium    and    spores,    X    150. 

Didymiiim    com planatiim    (Batsch)    Rost.,    p.    116. 
Capillitial    structure,    X    200. 

Physarum   <u;'nitialnisr,   p.   72. 
Sporangium,    X    20,   enlarged    to   show   dehiscence. 

Didymium  xantliopus   (Ditm.)    Fr.,  p.  123. 
Sporangium  —  diagram    to   show    columella,    X    20. 

Didymium    rximium    Pk.,    p.    124. 
Group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.   11  fl.     Section   of  sporangium,    X    30;    diagram. 
Fig.  11  b.     Spore,    X    750. 

Comatriilia  t'lfc/ans   (Racib.)    List.,  p.  182. 
Fig.   12.        A  single  sporangium,    X    20. 

Clastoderma  drhaiyatium,   p.   191. 
Fig.   13.        Sporangium,   seen   in   section,    X    20. 

Slrmonilis   hcrbatica    Pk.,    p.    171. 
Fig.   14.        Group  of  sporangia,    X   2. 
Fig.  14  fl.     The  same  enlarged  to  show   general   outline. 
Fig.  \Ab.     The  same;  capillitial  section,    X   20. 
Fig.   14  f.     A  single  spore,    X    1000. 

332 


Fig. 

7. 

Fig. 

"  ' 

Fig. 

8. 

Fig. 

9. 

Fig. 

10. 

Fig. 

11. 

PLATE  X\T 


EXPLANATION   OF  PLATE  XVII 


Crilnaria  arn'tllacra    (Pers.)    SrhrMcl.,    p.   21S. 
Fig.      1.         SporniiKiuni,   hi.Lihl\    inaKiiirted. 

Cnhraiia  iriiurottir/Hi  Schiad.,  p.  219. 
Fipc-     2.         Sporanfz;iuiii,   lii,L;lil\    inajiiiified. 

Crilnaria  auranlicua  Sclirad.,  p.  221. 
Fi<?.     3.         Sporangium    roiitaining   spores,    X    30. 

Crihraria  microcarpa  Schrad.,  p.  226. 
Fig.     4.        Sporangium   containing  spores,    X    30. 

Crihraria   tcnrlla   Schrad.,    p.   225. 
Fig.      5.         Sporangium    containing   spores,    X    40. 

Crihraria  miTiutissima  Sch\v.,  p.  220. 
Fig.  6.  A  single  sporangium  calyculate,  X  50. 
Fig.     6  a.     A  smaller  sporangium  without  calyx,  with  spore-mass. 

Crihraria   cuprea   Morg.,    p.   229. 
Fig.     7.        A   single  sporangium,    X    50. 

Crihraria. I'iolacra  Rex,   p.  227. 
Fig.     8.        A  single  sporangium,    X   40. 

Crihraria  piriformis  Schrad.,  p.  224. 
Fig.     9.         A    single   sporangium,    X    30. 

Pcriiliania   drpnssa    (Libert)    Rost.,    p.    242. 
Fig.  10.        A  cluster  of  sporangia,  one  open,    X    8. 

Pliysariim   niiarat/ut'tisr  Machr.,    p.   83. 
Fig.   11.         Single   sporangium,    X    10. 
Fig.   11  rt.     A   cluster   of    sporangia    and    hypothallus,    X    5. 


PLATE  XVII 


^ 
^'^ 


335 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  XVIII 


Maif/arila  inctaHha   (Berk.  &:  Br.)    List.,   p.  237. 
Fig.     \.        A  group  of  sporangia,   X    15. 
Fig.      1  a.     Oapillitium    and   spores,    X    300. 
Fig.      1  /;.     A  single  spore,    X    1200. 

Didmiia   cnr-ntbruin   n.   s.,    p.   140. 
Fig.     2.         A  group  (it   sporangia,    X    15. 

Didirma   astrro'uirs   List.,    p.    143. 
Fig.     3.  Sporangia-spread,    X    6. 

Fig.     3  a.     Same   sporangia    still    unopened,    X    4. 

Comatrulia  laxa  Host.,   Of.   PI.   \'.,   5   i^-   5  «,  p.   184. 

Fig.     4.         Sporangia,    X     10. 

D'ldama   lyallii    (Mass.)    Maciir.,    p.    136. 
Fig.     5.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.      5  a.     Oapillitiuin   and    spores,    X    200. 

Lfpiciodnma   diaillrtii  Rost.,    p.    146. 
Fig.     6.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    15. 
Fig.     6  fl.     Capillitium  and  spores,    X    150. 
Fig.     6  h.     A  single  spore,    X    800. 

Didyinium   tuullus  Morg.,   p.    117. 
Fig.     7.         A  group   of   sporangia,    X    10. 

Dldcrma  radiatitm    Linn.,    p.    141. 
Fig.     8.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    8. 

Pliysaruni   didrrma   Rost.,   p.    55. 
Fig.     9.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 

Didcnna   riu/osum    (Rex)    Macbr.,    p.    144. 
Fig.   10.        A   group   of   sporangia,    X    10. 

Didirina  nii'riitn    (Rost.)    Marhr.,  p.    137. 
Fig.    11.         A   group  of  sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.   11  a.     Spore  and  capillitium,    X    600. 

Protolr'uliia   mrtaHira    (Berk.)    Mass.,   p.   258. 
Fig.   12.         A   group   of  sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.   12  fl.      Same;    capillitium    and    spores,     X     300. 

Fig.   12  b.     Tip    of    a    capillitium    thread    to    show    spiral    markings    and    end- 
fraying,    X    800. 

Comatrulia  arrjualis  Peck,   p.   180. 
Fig.   13.        A   group   of  sporangia,    X    5. 
Fig.    1 3  rt.      Sporangium   tip,   capillitium,    X    200. 
Fig.   13  h.     Spore,    X    800. 

Pliysannn   cottiprcssum  Alh.  &  Sclnv.,  p.   80. 
Fig.   14.        A   group  of  sporangia   to  show   compressed    form,    X    10. 
See  also  Plate  XIX.,    Fig.    12. 

336 


PLA'l'K  XVI II 


337 


EXPLAXAl'IOX   OF   PLATE  XIX 


Diiiydhun    (lunrll/iluin    I>;itsc'h,    p.    230. 
Fig.      1.         The    finest    pliase,    as   the    turm    appears    in    the   Mississippi    valles', 

X    15. 
Fig.      1  a.     Sp()raii<;iiiin  of  the   same  seen   from   be]o\v,    X    3  5. 
Fig.      1  /;.      Sporangium — same — seen    from    above,    X    3  5. 
Fig.     1  r.     Cribraria-like  net  from  the  top,   X   200. 
Fig.     2.         A'ertical    section    of    Avhat    is    believed    the    typical    European    form, 

X    20. 
Fig.      3.         An    ellipsoidal    piriform    phase  —  var.   prolaltim,    X    15. 

irum    (omprrssum    Alb.    .^-    Schw.    form    /'.    affiiu-   Rost.,    p.    80. 
A  group  of  sporangia,    X    12. 
A    single   spore,    X    600. 
Capillitium,    same   species,    X    300. 

.Ihi-isia  homharda   lierk.  .^-  Hr.,   p.  209. 
Open    sporangia,    X    6. 
Sporangium    of   saine    enlarged    to   sho^v   capillitium,    X    20. 

Crihraria  duty  diodes   Cke.   &   Balf.,    p.   222. 
A  group  of  sporangia,    X    6. 

Single   sporangium   of   same  —  lateral    view,    X    25. 
Same;    base    view,    X    30. 

Crihraria  aurantiaca  Schrad.,  p.  221. 
Single    sporangium,    X     30. 

Crihraria  nifa   (Roth)   Rost.,  p.  220. 
Sporangium,    X    30. 

Crihraria    piriformis   Schrad.,    p.   224. 
Sporangium,    X    30. 

Crihraria  splrndrns    (Schrad.)    Pers.,    p.   221. 
Sporangium,    X    30. 

Kchinostclium    miniilum    DeBx.,    p.    198. 
Several   sporangia,    X    15. 
\"ertical   section,   after  Rost.,    X    500. 

Physarum    (omprrssiim    Schw.,    p.    80. 
Fig.    12.         Sporangium,    X    20,   to  show   dehiscence. 

Didyiniiitn    anoinaliini    Sturg.,    p.    127. 
Fig.    13.         Plasmodiocarps,    about   natural    size. 
Fig.   13  a.     Diagrammatic  vertical  section,  etc.,  to  show  the  calciferous  pillars 

distinguishing   the   species,    X    200. 
Fig.    14.         Calcic  crystal  —  enlarged. 

Physarum   sinuosum    (Hull.)    Wiiinn.,   p.   52. 
Fig.   15.        Plasmodiocarps  passing  to  sporangia,    X    5. 
Cf.  Plate  VIII.,  6  and  6  a. 

Physarum   hilrdum    List.,    p.   53. 
Fig.    16.         Plasmodiocarps  as  in    15,  showing  transioiial   phases,    X    10. 


Phy 

Fig. 

4. 

Fig. 

4rt. 

Fig. 

4/;. 

Fig. 

5. 

Fig. 

5  a. 

Fig. 

6. 

Fig. 

6rt. 

Fig. 

6/;. 

Fig. 

7. 

Fig. 

8. 

Fig. 

9. 

Fig. 

10. 

Fig. 

11. 

Fig. 

11  a. 

338 


PLATE  XIX 


£141 


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EXPLANATION    OF   PLATE   XX 


liaJluunia   loii-cnsis  ii.   s.,    p.   36. 
Fij;.      1.         Spnraiij^ia    several    presentations,    X    15. 
Fi.LC.      1  a.     C\Tpillitiuni,    X    200. 
Fis.      1  h.     Sin.n;le  spore,    X    500. 

Pliysaniin   rnorloni  n.  s.,   p.   5S. 
Fig.     2.         A   K'niup   of   sporan.>;ia,    X    20. 
Fig.     2  a.     Caiiillitiuiii,     X     200. 

Physanim   discoidalc   n.   s.,    p.    74. 
Fig.      3.         A    group   of   sporangia,    X    10. 
Fig.      3  (t.     A   single   spore,    X    800. 

Didyiniiim   an  nil  I  alum    n.   s.,    p.    125. 
Fig.     4.         Ciroup    of    sporangia,    X     15. 
Fig.     4  a.     Capillitiuni    and    spores,    X    200. 

Olif/onrma   hrr-vifiliun   Peck,    p.   280. 
Fig.     5.        Capillitium,    X    800. 
Fig.     5  a.     The  same. 
Fig.    12/;.     A    single  spore,    X    800. 

Amaurocliacte  tubulina   (Alh.  &  Schw.)    Machr.,   p.   150. 
Fig.     6.         Capillitium   and   spores,    X    200. 
Fig.     6  a.     Spore,    X    1200. 

Pliysarum   hruniifo/iim    (Phill.)    Mass.,   p.    58. 
Fig.     7.        Group   of  sporangia. 

Fig.     7  a.     The   same,   mature,   dehiscence   beginning,    X    10. 
Fig.     7  b.     A  single  spore,    X    800. 

Stcmonilis  itvifcra  n.  s.,  p.   161. 
Fig.     8.         Colony,    natural    size. 
Fig.     8  a.     Capillitium    ami    spore-clusters,    X    30. 
Fig.      8  h.     Single    spore-cluster,    X    600. 
Fig.     8  r.     Spore,    X    1000. 

Stnnonilis  trecliispora  Berk.,   p.   160. 
Fig.     9.        Fructification  —  natural    size. 

Fig.     9  a.     Capillitium,   branch    and   threads,    X    20  —  the   spores   enlarged. 
Fig.     9  h.     Netted   spore,    X    1000.      Masking   as    an    amaurochete;    .7.   tnr/ii- 
spora    perhaps;    compare    11,    etc.,    below. 
Strmonitis  flavnginila  Jahn,   p.    169. 
Fig.    10.        A   group   of   sporangia,    X    3. 
Fig.    10  «.     Capillitium    sho\ving    columella-tip,    X    50. 
Fig.   10  b.     Spore,    X    1200. 

Stemonitis  trecliispora    (Berk.)    Torr.,   p.   159. 
Fig.   11.        A  group  of  sporangia,    X    3. 
Fig.   \\  a.     Diagram    of    a    single    sporangium,    a    less    rudimentar\    specimen, 

X    40. 
Fig.    11  b.     Capillitium    enlarged    to   show    branching   columella,    X    40. 
Fig.   llr.     A   single   spore,    X    1200. 

.Inyria  poniiforniis   (Leers)    Rost.,   p.  255. 
Fig.   12.         A  globose  colony  of  sporangia,    X    10;    \ar.   com/lnbosa. 
Fig.  12  /;.     See  under  5,   above. 

340 


I'l.A'ii:  XX 


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3a 


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Uc 


ub 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE  XXI 


Brrfrldia   maxima    (Fr.)    Rost.,   p.   154. 
A    typical,    beautiful    afthalium,    about    natural    size. 


342 


PLAIK  XXI 


EXPLANATION   OF  PLATE  XXII 


Brefeldia  jnaxima  Rost.,  p.  15+. 
Fig.   L     Plasmodium    active;    climbing  the   stump. 
Fig.  2.     Same  plasmodiiim   urgent;   moving  at  the  rate  of  2  cm.   per  minute. 

From  photo-prints  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Seaman  and  Mr.  John  F.  Reeder,  Mich. 
The  figures  are  about  one-sixth  the  natural  size  of  the  object.  See  piate 
preceding  for  the  mature   phase  of  this  species,  natural   size. 


34+ 


PLATK  XXII 


345 


EXPLANATION   OF   PLATE   XXIII 


Fuliffo   cincrea    (Schw.)    Morg.,   p.  26. 
\.     The  Plasmodium;   urgent! 
2.     The   perfected    fruit;    quiescent. 

The   figures    present    their   objects    about    natural    size.      See   also   Plate   X. 
Figs.   3,    3  a,    3  h,   for   further   illustration. 

From   photo-prints  by  John   T.  Reeder,   Mich. 


346 


PLATE  XXIII 


347 


nOrERTY  LIBRARY 
N.  C.  State  College 


